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

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  

All Broke Down by Cora Carmack Cover Reveal

Man oh man have I got a SUPER SPECIAL post for you guys today! Today, July 9, 2014, I am honored to present to you the official COVER REVEAL to the exciting second novel in the EARTH SHATTERING, AMAZING, GROUNDBREAKING Rusk University series by the absolutely awesome sauce Cora Carmack! The long-awaited (okay, it's only been a couple of months...) sequel to the bestselling All Lined Up: All Broke Down! Cora Carmack is sure to have another hit on her hands and I am extremely honored to share this with you all.

As many of you know I am a member of Cora Carmack's Official Rusk University Street Team (view links in sidebar), meaning that I work with a group of 25 other amazing bloggers,readers, and fans to promote Cora's work and to give her feedback on ALL THE THINGS! It has been a great honor to serve as a  Carmcat and special events like this make it even better!

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!

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.

Alright ladies and gentlemen, for the moment you have been waiting for! Without farther adieu I present to you the official cover reveal for Cora Carmack's All Broke Down:

 

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

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

 

Alright everyone, I hope you have all enjoyed your stop here at OneGuysGuideToGoodReads and seeing the cover reveal to Cora's All Broke Down! This is a very special series to me and I have Cora and her Street Team to thank for even getting me started on this blog. I encourage you all to check out the novels and to connect with Cora, because honestly, she is amazing to her fans. Thanks again for stopping by and remember to keep checking back for all the newest updates on Cora and her works! Until next time Wildcats: Bleed Rusk Red!

 

This cover reveal is brought to you by the amazing team at Inkslinger PR!  

 

-Ethan 

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack Blog Tour

Hello readers! Long time no read! As my regular readers know, I just returned from an amazing week long cruise to the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula to celebrate my college graduation. As awesome as it was, it means I missed a whole week of blogging. Well, what better way to jump back in that to present to you all the OneGuysGuideToGoodReads Blog Tour stop for the newest novel by the absolutely amazing, fantastic, incredible, astonishing Miss Cora Carmack? Hope you guys are ready for some fun, here we go!

Click the banner to see all stops on the ALU Tour!

As many of you already know, I am a member of Cora Carmack's Rusk University Street Team and have been working alongside Cora and 24 other amazing bloggers (and Kelly... Hey Kelly :D) to promote this amazing first novel in Cora's new Rusk University series. I'm sure if you are reading this you already know a little about All Lined Up, considering this is the thirteenth and final day of the All Lined Up blog tour, but just in case you haven't, here's some info about ALU!

 

Synopsis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Sounds amazing right? Well it definitely is. You guys can check out a whole bunch more information about ALU from the links on my side bar right over here>>>>>>> 

For any of you guy's who aren't familiar with my friend, and our amazing author, Cora Carmack, here's some information about the amazing Cora! 

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, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** Novel Goodreads

Well, if any of you guys have been keeping up with the amazing work the Street Team has been doing, you would know all about the amazing tradition we created in the form of Rusk University #FootballFriday! Each week we selected one of six main characters from All Lined Up and wrote all about that character, giving some amazing insight to our thoughts on All Lined Up, as well as some absolutely amazing graphics! Here's the link to all six of my #FootballFriday posts, I invite you to check them out and learn more about the cast of All Lined Up before getting started with your own copy! 

 

 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 
Football Friday Week Six: Meet Coach Cole and the Rusk University Wildcats

In addition to all the ALU info we put into our Football Friday posts, I would just like to add that I liked everything about All Lined Up and, in my opinion, it is definitely Cora's best work to date. This book is so easy to relate to in the sense of the college experience, and above all else: it appeals to guy readers as well as the females. Unlike many other New Adult novels, this book is not fueled by sex/sexual tension. Cora has given us a great novel about the freshman experience of college, colored with football, partying, and a HEALTHY romance thrown in that is sure to impress anyone! The cast of characters is great, and the storyline sets us up for several more Rusk U novels in the future! I don't say this often, but All Lined Up is a very special novel and I invite you all to check it out, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Check out this amazing graphic from one of my amazing fellow Street Team members!

As I noted before, I am a member of Cora's Street Team and ready ALU for the first time close to three months ago. In that time, I have read it another two times. It really is THAT good. Since I have had a little more time to prepare for my blog tour, I would like to make your stop here at OneGuysGuideToGoodReads a little more special by sharing with you guys my Top 12 quotes from Cora Carmack's All Lined Up!

All Lined Up Top 12 Quotes

Hope you enjoyed those quotes, feel free to leave your favorite ALU quotes in the comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts!


Alright readers, what would a post here on OneGuysGuideToGoodReads be without a giveaway? The amazing Cora and her team are giving away 5 copies of ALU and you could win! Fill out the Rafflecopter below, you know the drill!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright guys, that's the end of my Blog Tour stop for Cora Carmack's newest release All Lined Up! I hope you guys enjoyed your stay! As always, I have several thanks to make. First off to Cora: thank you for the amazing opportunity to join your ST, you've introduced me to so many new amazing people including the rest of the Carmcats, the absolutely incredible Kelly, and of course, yourself. Thanks for everything Cora! I'd also like to give a HUGE thanks to KP and her amazing team at InkSlinger for allowing me to be a part of this awesome blog tour! You guys are awesome. Lastly I would love to give a shout out to my amazing team who has helped me to promote this blog by tweeting, facebooking, and doing everything in their power to help me promote ALU these past few months. A very special thanks to Hannah, Jessica, Tommy, Blaire, and Grace: you guys have no idea how much your help has meant to me!

Now that you know all about All Lined Up, what are you waiting for? Head on over and get yourself a copy and get to reading! Remember, there's No Easy Days at Rusk U!

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Thank you all for reading. I look forward to more All Lined Up fun very soon. Thanks for joining me on this amazing journey promoting such a great book! Until next time folks, Happy Reading!

 -Ethan