All Played Out by Cora Carmack Release Day Launch

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Cora Carmack's ALL PLAYED OUT! ALL PLAYED OUT is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 3rd book in the Rusk University Series, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

   

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks

About ALL PLAYED OUT: First person in her family to go to college? CHECK. Straight A’s? CHECK. On track to graduate early? CHECK. Social life? …..yeah, about that…. With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience). So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do" list of normal college activities. Item #1? Hook up with a jock. Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it's impossible to get hurt... again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it. Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she's never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he's willing to take the chance when it's more than just a game. Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

Excerpt

Dallas and Dylan toss the disk back and forth a few times, and I groan when Carson and Silas make no effort to intercept or knock down the pass. I’m pretty sure it’s a distraction, so I stick tight to Brookes, and I notice Ryan edging closer to me, too. He must have the same idea.

Next thing I know, Dallas has sent the disk soaring over our heads, and when I look, Nell is standing alone, completely unguarded in the end zone.

She’s holding her hands out and staring at the disk like it’s a missile instead of a piece of plastic. I take off toward her in case she misses it. I want to grab the disk and get it back into play as soon as I can.

As I sprint, the disk slips right through her grasping fingers and nails her in the chest. She gasps; no doubt the air was knocked out of her. The disk ricochets, and if I dive I might can manage to catch it, but I can’t quite drag my eyes away from her chest. Her tits are practically spilling out of the top of the tiny tank she’s wearing. I’d had a front-row seat earlier with my arm around her. Now she’s clutching at herself in pain, but all I can see are her smooth, delicate arms pressed against the curve of her breasts, pushing them even higher.

I should look away before something very unfortunate occurs in my baggy gym shorts, but now I’m picturing that shy girl loosening up beneath me. It’s too easy to take those wide eyes she gave me when I draped my arm around her and imagine them in the low light of my room, her head on my pillow and her legs spread wide.

She makes a soft whimpering noise, and now the rest of my senses join the fantasy, and I think of how she would feel, taste, sound. I wonder just how low I could get her inhibitions. Enough to say my name? To scream it?

“Damn,” I groan, and try to clear my head. “You all right?”

She looks up at me, still clutching at her chest, and pink spreads over her cheeks. She doesn’t say anything.

“Okay,” I say. “There is honestly no way to ask this without sounding like a pig, so I’m not even gonna try. And really, in these situations, I find you might as well go balls to the wall and throw it all out there. So … at the risk of getting slapped, how are your tits?” I think about offering to check them out for her, but I figure that’s probably taking it a step too far.

Her mouth presses into a firm straight line. “It wasn’t my ...” She trails off.

“Tits,” I finish for her. “You have them. You can say the word.”

“It hit me in the collarbone, not the breasts.”

Breasts. I raise an eyebrow, and she rolls her eyes.

I take a step forward and say, “Let me see.”

“Absolutely not.”

I take another step, until my shadow falls over her, and take hold of one wrist. “As you pointed out, you weren’t hit in the breasts. Just let me have a look. With the right strength and good wind, a disk can go as fast as twenty miles per hour. I’ve seen them break fingers and noses.”

“Dude, Torres!” Silas shouts behind me. “What are you waiting for? Grab the disk and let’s go!”

Hesitating, I ask, “You wanna take a break? Catch your breath and let me see it?”

She shakes her head stubbornly. “I don’t want the game to stop because of me.”

I turn around and shout back to Silas, “Nell and I are taking a break. You guys keep playing with eight.”

Taking her elbow, I pull her off the field toward the picnic tables. She protests, but only mildly, and she still has one hand pressed just above her cleavage. And looking down at her, I can see moisture clinging to long lashes at the corner of her eye.

I sit her down so that her back is to the field, and go down on one knee in front of her. She’s so small that it puts us eye level, and I say softly, “Move your hand.”

“It’s fine,” she says. “Just give me a couple seconds, and I’ll be fine.”

You don’t grow up with five sisters without learning that sometimes with women, words are pointless. I reach out and move her hand myself, pulling it away from her chest. The skin just below her collarbone is an angry red, and the disk scraped through a couple layers of skin. Not enough to bleed, but I bet it hurts. “Tell me how it feels. Still a sharp pain? Or more of an ache?”

Her eyebrows slant over her pretty brown eyes. “The pain was sharp and steady for approximately thirty seconds, but now it kind of stings.”

“Like a slap,” I say.

She gives a short laugh, her shoulders bouncing once before she stills in what I’m guessing is pain. “I can’t say I know what that feels like. Though I’m not surprised it’s a sensation you’re familiar with.”

I shrug. “I don’t believe in censoring my thoughts. Some people just aren’t as fond of freedom of speech as I am.”

She shakes her head, and I think she’s trying not to smile.

I reach up my left hand and as lightly as possible run my thumb over the red mark. She sucks in a breath and I ask, “Hurts to the touch?”

“Um.” She swallows and blinks a few times.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

I brush my thumb over her skin again, even lighter this time, wondering if the Frisbee could have hit hard enough to crack something. There’s already a purpling around the center that tells me it’s going to bruise pretty good.

She swallows, and my eyes are drawn to the graceful slope of her neck, up to a small chin and full lips. And it hits me then … why this girl caught my eye from the moment she walked toward our group, why I can’t drag my eyes or my hand away from her now.

She reminds me of Lina.

And the memory of the only girl I’ve ever loved packs a punch so hard that it’s my turn to raise a hand to my chest to soothe an all-too-familiar ache.

And don’t miss the first two books in the Rusk University Series…

ALL LINED UP, Book 1

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks

ALL BROKE DOWN, Book 2

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks

     

For more of what’s next in The Rusk University Series, go here!

 

Add Book 4, ALL CLOSED OFF, to your Goodreads now!

 
About Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.        

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** ALL PLAYED OUT Goodreads

 

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All Played Out by Cora Carmack Blog Tour (Review + Giveaway)

I absolutely thrilled to bring you my stop on the Review & Excerpt Tour for Cora Carmack’s All Played Out! APO is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 3rd book in the Rusk University Series, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK. Straight A’s? CHECK. On track to graduate early? CHECK. Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay… Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience).
So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.
Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt… again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes

About Cora Carmack:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something New York Times bestselling author who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She now splits her time between Austin, TX and New York City and spends her days writing, traveling, and spending way too much time on the internet. In her books, you can expect to find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . . awkward people need love, too.    

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Goodreads 

*****

My Thoughts:

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a big supported of two things: new adult literature and Cora Carmack. Over the past couple of years, I have taken the plunge down the rabbit hole into this blogging world thanks, in part, to Cora's influence. It was through her street team that I started this blog in an effort to promote her Rusk University series. We've come a long way since then. I absolutely loved each and every page of All Lined Up, and while I had huge issues with All Broke Down's plot, I still found it rather enjoyable. What about All Played Out? The newest installment in the series.

Well friends, I won't beat around the bush, it's a great read, but probably my least favorite thus far in the series. 

All Played Out is the third installment in the acclaimed Rusk University series. A new adult contemporary romance series set in a fictional Texas university set against the backdrop of adapting to life as a new adult. I love this series because, for the most part, I have grown with these characters so much. I've experienced life as they have, and funny enough, often in the same ways. It's been a great growing experience for me as both a reader and a new adult myself.

My biggest qualms with the story came in the forms of the characters and the plot, so let's get those negatives out of the way before I can rave.

Nell DeLuca may be (or had the potential to be) the most realistic and relatable character that Carmack has written to-date. She's intelligent, more than a little introverted, and a social virgin to most all things one comes to associate with college life. She's not a partier, she has never had a serious relationship or sex, she's nerdy, she's... real. I get so so sooo aggravated reading all about these college aged kids who do nothing but party and gallivant around like irresponsible teenagers. Also, contrary to popular belief, many, many college students are exactly like Nell. They are academic-driven with very little experience to the lifestyle that some seem to have. 

For those of you who may not be familiar with the college scene, it's nothing like you see depicted on television or in books. For every one partying college kid, there are ten who are stuck in their dorm rooms studying their butts off to try to pass their next exam. While the partiers are out partying, a large group are busy working their way through the night/weekend to pay for the education they are there to receive. In my experience those out living the fantasized college experience are not the majority. They are just the ones with the time to participate in them! 

Like Nell, many student will not be familiar with raging parties. They won't be sexual deviants who sleep their way across campus. They won't give a hoot about college sport 'celebrities' and probably couldn't tell them from Adam. I know I sure couldn't. My point here is that Nell is the most 'real' New Adult character I have seen written in the genre to date. So what went wrong?

Nell finally reaches the point in her college career where she realizes that she's missed out on all the fun times because she's been so concentrated on school to enjoy her experience (I can totally relate to Nell on this front having worked 2-3 jobs at one time during most of my college years). So what does she do? She makes a list. A bucket-list of sorts of things she wants to accomplish before finishing college. While this is fun and exciting, I was more than a little aggravated. 

Nell jumps right into that college-stereotype. She went from that grounded mature young woman to just another New Adult stereotype pretty quickly for me. Some of Nell's listed items are pretty intense for a girl who has never even been drunk. Just saying.

My biggest complaint was just how quickly Nell jumped down the rabbit hole. In only one night Nell goes from zero to fifty. Drinking, making out with guys, and hell, skinny dipping after trespassing into a neighbors yard. For someone who has never done any of these things, I think this was a massive step. While it was definitely fun to read, I just didn't find it to be real. Maybe that's just me as a male reader, but I saw Nell as against all those negative stereotypes, only to turn into one herself. 

While Carmack does an awesome time showing that college can be more than about just work, I think the whole message of 'in moderation' is lost here. Doing a lot of the things Nell does for the first time can be very scary, especially for a woman in Nell's position. Drinking with people you don't know, attending your first house party, sex, and general college-age shenanigans are not the norm for people like Nell, yet she jumped right in. While other characters and situations were definitely factors in Nell's decision, I just don't feel like the Nell we see in the story is anything like the Nell we are introduced to. That was extremely disappointing to me. 

At times Nell was very immature and her IQ seemed to drop fifty points whenever it came to Torres. While it's always a funny thing to think about, I found myself feeling more sorry for Nell than enjoying her plight. Maybe I'm completely wrong here, but Nell isn't the character for me, at all. She just changed way too much in my opinion, and not in a good way.

On the thoughts of Nell and her role in the story, I think Carmack summed up my feelings pretty perfect with this line from the novel: 

"There's a middle ground here, sweetheart, and you jumped right over it into the deep end."

                                                                                                     -Mateo Torres, All Played Out

While I had my faults with Torres, it really wasn't anything to complain about. He was exactly was I imagined his character to be. Another male NA-stereotype. Tragically misunderstood male protagonist with a tragic backstory who hides his past and true self behind a mask of humor and douchey-ness. Yep. Check. Torres does a whole lot of comparing Nell to a former love of his and I never really received any kind of resolution to that storyline. All Played Out just kind of wrapped everything up nice and neat. Just the way it should have... I guess?

Sex and romance are great, and they've become a staple in the NA literary world, but for me it has to be believable. Not only in the physical sense (anyone can write two characters randomly having sex), but also in the mental and emotional sense. If they characters are physically there, but not there anywhere else, how can a reader be expected to respect the story? Thankfully Carmack tackles her, many, sex scenes with realism and always tries to tie in emotion as well, my only complaint on that front is that I just think everything happened too fast for my tastes. This is not anything against Cora's writing style, at all, just an observation. 

On the surface, All Played Out is a great novel. It's quick paced and it's a lot of fun! For a few hundred pages, the reader will be immersed in a fun romantic story full of quirky twists and more than a few funny moments. If you can take the novel at face value and not look too far into it, I am confident that most readers will really enjoy this third installment of the series. 

We get the chance to see lots of characters that I have come to love from our past stories including Dallas, Carson, Dylan, Silas, Matt, Stella, and so many more. I will admit that multiple times throughout the story I was more interested in what was going on in their lives that with Mateo or Nell. It was kind of like a TV show where you just wish the camera would go into the other room for a few minutes. 

In the conclusion, Carmack wrapped everything up into a conclusion that was fitting to the storyline. While all readers can appreciate the happily ever after that our character receive, I can only wonder what Cora has up her sleeve for future novels. Cora is big on hitting on some hard-hitting issues as you guys have surely seen, so I am anxious to see how she tackles those issues in future novels. 

I would love to see Carmack explore more of the dark underbelly of the college experience: financial hardship, depression, alcohol abuse, etc. She's in the process of the sexual abuse issue and I am really interested to see how that plays out. I am thankful that authors such as Carmack aren't completely glamorizing the college experience when there are so many bad things happening in the NA community today.

Carmack has promised some big resolution to Stella's story that we shall see in future installments in the Rusk U series and I really hope she is able to successfully tell those stories. I have no doubt that Carmack has the talent to tell those stories, I only hope for the best for our characters! 

Carmack is an incredible writer with great talent, so I hate to be even the slightest bit critical of her work, but All Played Out just did not do it for me as a reader. I've discussed this with multiple fellow bloggers and readers and, aside from a couple of people, the general consensus seems to be that I only feel this way 'because I'm a guy', but whatever. Who knows, I hate that I didn't live it, but that's okay. Who says you have to fall in love with every piece of literature one of your favorite authors writes? 

As you can see, I had lots of thoughts regarding All Played Out, while it may not have been my favorite read of the Rusk U series, I still strongly believe that fans of the series will enjoy it! That being said, I am granting All Played Out a 3-star review, while I found the plot to be interesting enough, the execution came in short for me. Regardless, this was a great third installment in the series and I cannot wait to see what happens in book four! Be sure to check out this series for yourself, you won't be disappointed!

*****

And don’t miss the first two books in the Rusk University Series…

ALL LINED UP, Book 1

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

ALL BROKE DOWN, Book 2

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

 

For more of what’s next in The Rusk University Series, go here!

Add Book 4, ALL CLOSED OFF, to your Goodreads now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright readers, that's all I have for you on the topic of All Played Out by Cora Carmack. As many of you guys know, I got my start in blogging by being a member of Cora's street team helping to promote this awesome series! It's a great honor to consider her a friend and to help out by offering up my thoughts on the novel. Special thanks to the team InkSlinger PR for allowing me to participate! Until next time, Bleed Rusk Red, and Happy Reading!

-Ethan

All Broke Down by Cora Carmack Release Day Launch!

  

Yowza! We are extremely excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Cora Carmack's ALL BROKE DOWN!! ALL BROKE DOWN is a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel being published by HarperCollins, and it is the 2^nd book in The Rusk University Series.

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

About ALL BROKE DOWN: In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love. Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one. Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause. Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help. Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

   

Excerpt: I think I get it then. That decision I saw in her eyes back in the kitchen. That’s what this, what I’m about for her, too. I’m just another part of whatever rebellion she started earlier today. About doing what she wants, not what’s expected of her. “We’re not talking about me, though,” she says. “So you went to meet your friend, and then what happened?” She keeps her eyes down as she picks up the gauze and begins winding it snugly around the knuckles of one hand, and then the other. “He said the wrong thing.” “Which was?” “Dylan.” Now it’s her that’s pushing too hard. I didn’t want to talk about things with my friends, and I won’t talk about them with her, either, no matter how gorgeous she is. “I’ll guess. You were mad about what he did, and he wasn’t sorry.” “This isn’t middle school, Pickle. He didn’t hurt my feelings. He said some shit he had no business saying, and it pissed me off. The end.” “But you don’t think some of that anger stems from what you feel is a betrayal of your friendship?” She finishes taping down the last of the gauze, but doesn’t let go of my hand. “I think you’re analyzing me again. Making things more complicated than they are.” “And I think you’re just a guy who doesn’t like to admit he has feelings.” She drags out the word, teasing me with some goofy smile on her face. I turn my hand over so I can clutch her wrist. I curlmy other bandaged hand around her waist and pull her closer. “I feel plenty of things.” The teasing stops. She swallows. “I wasn’t talking about that kind of feeling.” With her standing and me sitting, I’m eye level with her chest. I see the sharp rise and fall as she sucks in a breath. I want her in my lap again, straddling me this time. “Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about that kind of feeling. Or experiment with it.” “Is that Stella girl an ex?” I cough, surprised. My throat twists uncomfortably, and it takes me a couple of solid breaths to get a hold on myself. “Ah, no. Stella and I have never dated.” “Have you—” “Do you ever run out of questions?” “Not ever.” She turns playful again, and I’m done doing this the careful way. If she wants a rebellion, I’ll be the one to give it to her. I want her against me, and I’m tired of waiting. I pull her forward, insinuating my knees between hers, and her body naturally follows, settling across my thighs. Her lips part, but she catches herself before she gasps this time. I keep her steady with my hands at her waist and say, “I’ll make you a deal. A question for a kiss.” Tentatively, she lays her palms against my shoulders. They rest there, her grip light and casual. She ponders my offer for a moment, and it drives me mad that she can do that while our hips are inches away from alignment. “Okay then. Are you—” I cut her off. “Not so fast, Dylan Brenner. I’ve already answered one question. We’ve got to settle up first.” I wrap her braid around my hand like I’ve been waiting to do all night, and I use it to pull her head back just enough that I can crush my mouth against hers.

And don’t forget to grab your copy of ALL LINED UP Today!

 

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes

 

 

 

About Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.      

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** ALL BROKE DOWN Goodreads

 

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Thanks so much for stopping by! Special shout out to Cora and the amazing KP and her team over at InkSlinger PR for allowing me to participate! Until next time, Happy Reading!

#BleedRuskRed

-Ethan

All Broke Down by Cora Carmack Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Hey everyone and Happy Sunday! As most all of you know, I am a HUGE supporter and fan of the amazing Cora Carmack! In fact, I am a member of her Rusk University Street Team! Pretty cool, right? Anyway, this week I am beyond excited and proud to be on the blog tour promoting All Broke Down, book two in her Rusk University series! For my blog tour stop today I will be reviewing ABD and sharing TWO giveaways with you all! Any of you who follow this blog regularly are aware of the Football Friday celebrations we hold around here, so I don't have to keep gushing all about Cora! :) Thank you all so much for coming to party, let's learn a little bit about the book and Cora before we get to my thoughts and the giveaway!

 

In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

And don’t forget to grab your copy of ALL LINED UP Today!

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iTunes

 

Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

 Find Cora Carmack!

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads

***********************************************************************************

My Thoughts

A few months ago, Cora Carmack blew the New Adult genre apart with the release of the first novel in the Rusk University series, All Lined Up. Readers LOVED the exciting heartfelt story of Carson McClain and Dallas Cole and it shows! All Lined Up has nearly 5000 Goodreads reviews and a 4.1 star average! Pretty doggone impressive! I don't know about anyone else, but I was so pumped to read All Broke Down! Silas Moore, our MC was my favorite part about ALU so I was really excited to see him get his own time to shine in ABD! How did it measure up? Let's break it down:

When it comes to the plot, All Broke Down has it going on! This time Cora follows the story of Silas, our resident bad boy as he falls hard for Dylan Brenner, the most badass girl Cora has written to date. Silas is known for being a bit of a trouble maker, but when his latest antics land him in jail, it takes pairing up with Dylan for Silas to really straighten up and fly right. Throughout the course of the novel we see Silas go from free-wheeling frat boy-esque behavior to mature and adultish. It was really neat to learn more about Silas's past and see the ins and outs of what makes him tick. Silas is such a deep character with a lot more than what you see on the surface. He is also hilarious and a huge douche lobster which is why he is my favorite character in the series!

Dylan is all about lost causes. A new age hippie so to speak! She protests what she doesn't agree with an participated in activism for causes she loves. I have a whole lot of respect for that, considering I am the same way. Dylan is also pretty innocent when it comes to romance so it was relaly fun to see the dynamic between these two characters!

Unfortunately, due to an error, I no longer have an ecopy of All Broke Down and I lost all my fun highlighted quotes for you guys otherwise I'd be sharing them here! I can tell you though that Carmack was out in true form during this outing. ADB features some of the best quotes she has ever written. For those of you unfamiliar with Cora's works, she has one of the best writing voices I have ever seen. She has great insight to the mind of NA readers (probably because she's basically one herself)! Everyone who is anyone will find something to relate to in this novel, it was great.

I will go on and say that there was one huge negative about this book for me. There is a bit of a major plot twist at the end of All Broke Down that I was not a fan of at all. I will not go into details, but I really didn't agree with what happened and really didn't enjoying reading one particular thing. Anyone who has read the novel will probably know what I am talking about. I have spoken to Cora about this issue and she assures me that ABD is not the last time this issue will be addressed. I believe that Cora has hit the nail on the head with a large issue that needs to be addressed in the college community, I just don't know how I feel about it being featured in this novel. It was just a shock more than anything.

WARNING: This book does feature several explicit sex scenes involving bathrooms, kitchens, and finally a bedroom... Yyyeeeaaaahhhhh lol. Also, there are drug references throughout and a couple of usage scenes. There is also some strong language at parts (but what else would you expect from a novel based around a college football team?! LOL).

In the end, I found All Broke Down to be a great second outing in the Rush University series. I'm really excited for this one to release and to hear all of your thoughts on the topic. Over the course of the last year, Cora has become a close friend of mine and I am honored to be promoting this book in any capacity. Please go show Cora all the love you can! All-in-all I am granting All Broke Down a 4-star review. While it wasn't my absolute favorite Cora book to-date, I still found it to be enjoyable and can't wait to read more in the series!
***********************************************************************************

Giveaways! 

Be sure to check out both giveaways on this tour stop for ABD!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright readers, that is all I have for you on the topic of All Broke Down by my great friend and amazing author, Miss Cora Carmack! Head over and show Cora some love! Have you read ABD? Tell me what you thought in the comments below! Special thanks to KP and the amazing team over at InkSlinger PR for allowing me to participate in this tour. Until next time, Happy Reading!

 #BleedRuskRed

-Ethan

Rusk University Football Friday: The Sophomore Season, Week Three: Meet Dylan Brenner

Hey readers! So you may have noticed you didn't get a Football Friday post this past Friday. Well, there is a good reason. Well, actually a great reason. That reason? I have "lost" my digital copy of All Broke Down and couldn't get you guys all the awesome info I needed, so... A couple of days later I decided I would just do it from memory and with the help of our amazing author, Miss Cora Carmack, I still have a great post for you guys! PLUS you still get a chance to enter the AMAZING giveaway! Here we go!

As you guys have undoubtedly heard, I am an avid fan of Cora Carmack and a member of her Street Team, promoting her newest Rusk University novel, All Broke Down, coming at ya on October 28, 2014! Just in case you have been living under a rock, I have all the information about All Broke Up available on the sidebar of my blog! Look over here>>>>>

In case you guys aren't good with math, that's only 4 weeks away! Actually, not even that, more like 24 days! Cora and our amazing crew have decided to reward you, the readers, with a special treat each Friday. I welcome you to my second post to get the crowd ready for book two of the Rusk University series. Each Friday until release day I, along with some fellow Street Teamers and Cora herself, will be giving you guys an insight to some of the books main characters and themes!

In case you are confused about what this is, check out my previous Football Friday posts at any of the links below! Each one is about a different character in Cora's first book of the series, All Lined Up!

Week One: Meet Carson McClain

Week Two: Meet Dallas Cole

Week Three: Meet Stella Santos

Week Four: Meet Silas Moore and Levi Abrams
Week Five: Meet Ryan Blake

Week Six: Meet The Rusk U Wildcats

Sophomore Season Week One: All About All Broke Down
Sophomore Season Week Two: Meet Matt

Alright everyone, hope you're ready, because here is our second edition of our sophomore edition of Rusk University Football Friday!

Today's post topic: Meet Dylan Brenner

Before we get started here with all things All Broke Down, if you haven't read or aren't familiar with book one of the series (All Lined Up), head over to my blog tour and review by clicking here! Hopefully you're already in the know about the Rusk University series so I'll just jump right in and give you guys a little info in the form of the official synopsis for All Broke Down!

Check out the cover and synopsis and then some info about the AMAZING Cora Carmack!

In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Alright, now that you guys have seen that awesome cover, take yourself a minute to calm down, I know the excitement can be a little much! Now take a minute to learn a little bit about our amazing author, my great friend, and fearless leader of the Carmcats, Miss Cora Carmack:

Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Find Cora Carmack!

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads

 

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

Meet Dylan Brenner

Okay. Now you know all about All Broke Down, so what's different this time around? All Broke Down, as the synopsis says, tells the story of Silas Moore, the 'bad boy' of Rusk U! Silas was my absolute favorite part of ALU and actually was the inspiration behind most of my graphics and promotion, for example:

Pretty cool right? Imagine how excited I was when Cora announced that Silas would the the focus of book two? Yeah. THAT excited. In this novel, which I have had the amazing pleasure of already reading, Silas gets a step up and his story is great! I'll have a huge post all about Silas in a few weeks, but today we're talking about Silas' love interest and out other main character, Dylan Brenner!

Dylan Brenner is our female MC for All Broke Down, and in my opinion, one of the best female characters that Cora has written. Dylan is probably the closest girl that Cora has written that I would be attracted to. Why? Not only is she beautiful and smart, Dylan is also passionate. Passion is a very important trait to me, but it isn't passion in the romantic sense: Dylan "fights for causes". Dylan is passionate about helping the homeless, she is passionate about the environment, she is passionate about helping animals. What is there not to love? A hot girl with a heart of gold? Sign me up. Cora has definitely written me an amazing book girlfriend with this read. Dylan is everything you could want in a female heroine and then some. Seriously. She's funny, she's down to Earth, what more can I say? Dylan is the perfect fit for my boy Silas. She is patient, understanding, and gives great advice. She's got an amazing head on her shoulders and a great conscience to boot. Are you on #TeamDylan yet? I know I sure am!

So what does Dylan look like? Cora goes into pretty great detail to give us an image of what Dylan looks and sounds like in the novel, so instead of spoiling that for you, I'll just post a few pics that Cora has sent me of her inspiration for Dylan Brenner!

How's that for an awesome leading female?

Check out this graphic that one of my fellow Carmcats created for Dylan instead! She's one of my favorite Cora-females yet!

Excited? Think you know a little bit about Dylan now? I really think all you Cora fans will really like Dylan, she was a great character who was written very well! In true Cora style, she is strong, funny, and full of awkward! That's all I have for you guys on the topic of Dylan, but have you seen my GIVEAWAY?! Enter below! But first, enjoy this graphic I made promoting All Broke Down!

GIVEAWAY
For these next several weeks I will be hosting a HUGE All Broke Down Giveaway to celebrate the release of this amazing novel! Please fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of three ecopies of All Broke Down as well as one of five Cora Carmack SIGNED swag packs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright guys, are you pumped?! I have LOTS more Football Friday posts for you guys to devour, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew all about All Broke Down before I tease you with new info each week! Be sure to enter my "Football Friday" wide giveaway and come back next week to learn all about the Rusk University Wildcats! In the coming weeks be on the look out for some info on upcoming author events and a few more book reviews I am working on! Don't be a stranger guys, comment below and say hey! I love to hear from my readers! Happy Reading! Bleed Rusk Red!

-Ethan  

Football Fri-- err... Sunday: The Sophomore Season Week 2 + HUGE GIVEAWAY

Hey readers! So you may have noticed you didn't get a Football Friday post this past Friday. Well, there is a good reason. Well, actually a great reason. That reason? I have "lost" my digital copy of All Broke Down and couldn't get you guys all the awesome info I needed, so... A couple of days later I decided I would just do it from memory and with the help of our amazing author, Miss Cora Carmack, I still have a great post for you guys! PLUS you still get a chance to enter the AMAZING giveaway! Here we go!

As you guys have undoubtedly heard, I am an avid fan of Cora Carmack and a member of her Street Team, promoting her newest Rusk University novel, All Broke Down, coming at ya on October 28, 2014! Just in case you have been living under a rock, I have all the information about All Broke Up available on the sidebar of my blog! Look over here>>>>>

In case you guys aren't good with math, that's only 4 weeks away! Actually, not even that, more like 24 days! Cora and our amazing crew have decided to reward you, the readers, with a special treat each Friday. I welcome you to my second post to get the crowd ready for book two of the Rusk University series. Each Friday until release day I, along with some fellow Street Teamers and Cora herself, will be giving you guys an insight to some of the books main characters and themes!

In case you are confused about what this is, check out my previous Football Friday posts at any of the links below! Each one is about a different character in Cora's first book of the series, All Lined Up!

Week One: Meet Carson McClain

Week Two: Meet Dallas Cole

Week Three: Meet Stella Santos

Week Four: Meet Silas Moore and Levi Abrams
Week Five: Meet Ryan Blake

Sophomore Season Week One: All About All Broke Down

Alright everyone, hope you're ready, because here is our second edition of our sophomore edition of Rusk University Football Friday!

Today's post topic: Meet Matt

Before we get started here with all things All Broke Down, if you haven't read or aren't familiar with book one of the series (All Lined Up), head over to my blog tour and review by clicking here! Hopefully you're already in the know about the Rusk University series so I'll just jump right in and give you guys a little info in the form of the official synopsis for All Broke Down!

Check out the cover and synopsis and then some info about the AMAZING Cora Carmack!

In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Alright, now that you guys have seen that awesome cover, take yourself a minute to calm down, I know the excitement can be a little much! Now take a minute to learn a little bit about our amazing author, my great friend, and fearless leader of the Carmcats, Miss Cora Carmack:

Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Find Cora Carmack!

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads

 

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes

ALL ABOUT MATT 

Okay. Now you know all about All Broke Down, so what's different this time around? All Broke Down, as the synopsis says, tells the story of Silas Moore, the 'bad boy' of Rusk U! Silas was my absolute favorite part of ALU and actually was the inspiration behind most of my graphics and promotion, for example:

Pretty cool right? Imagine how excited I was when Cora announced that Silas would the the focus of book two? Yeah. THAT excited. In this novel, which I have had the amazing pleasure of already reading, Silas gets a step up and his story is great! I'll have a huge post all about Silas in a few weeks, but today we're talking about one of the secondary characters, Matt!

Matt is Dylan's (our female MC) best friend and partner in crime. In fact, when we first meet Matt, he is sitting right beside Dylan... in a jail cell! Oh yeah. Welcome to All Broke Down! Matt is HILARIOUS! He and Dylan have such an awesome friendship. It is so funny that Cora took the time to write a character like Matt. He is honestly unlike any character she has every written before. He is a bi-sexual male who seriously has some of the best lines in the novel. His wise-cracks about the other characters in the book had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions! Also, fun fact about Matt? He is OBSESSED with the Rusk University Wildcats! In fact, he freaks out when he gets to meet some of our favorite Wildcats, they are superstars to him! I have had friends like Matt before and, like Matt, I have a relationship with my female best friend, much like his and Dylan's! It was really refreshing to read about a platonic male-female friendship in a NA novel. That was a nice change for me to see! Throughout the novel Matt makes several appearances and is mentioned many, many times. He plays a pretty important role in the story, and like I mentioned before, he supplies LOTS of comedy for our story! Cora has mentioned that writing Matt was a pretty fun experience for her.

So what does Matt look like? Cora goes into pretty great detail to give us an image of what Matt looks and sounds like in the novel, so instead of spoiling that for you, I'll just share this picture that Cora sent me! She says that this was her inspiration for Matt:

Excited? Think you know a little bit about Matt now? I really think all you Cora fans will really like Matt, he was a great character who was written very well! In true Cora style, he is full of laughs and makes for a fantastic secondary player! That's all I have for you guys on the topic of Matt, but have you seen my GIVEAWAY?! Enter below! But first, enjoy this graphic I made promoting All Broke Down!

GIVEAWAY
For these next several weeks I will be hosting a HUGE All Broke Down Giveaway to celebrate the release of this amazing novel! Please fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of three ecopies of All Broke Down as well as one of five Cora Carmack SIGNED swag packs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright guys, are you pumped?! I have LOTS more Football Friday posts for you guys to devour, but I wanted to make sure you guys knew all about All Broke Down before I tease you with new info each week! Be sure to enter my "Football Friday" wide giveaway and come back next week to learn all about the Rusk University Wildcats! In the coming weeks be on the look out for some info on upcoming author events and a few more book reviews I am working on! Don't be a stranger guys, comment below and say hey! I love to hear from my readers! Happy Reading! Bleed Rusk Red!

-Ethan