Gossip and Football

All Lined Up (Rusk University #1) by Cora Carmack

I loved this book!  I have read most of Carmack’s works and the report on her books thus far, Losing It, I liked it, Faking It, I really liked it, Finding it, was pretty good.  But as I finish All Lined Up, all I can say is I loved this book!  I see concepts that I liked in the Losing It series but written with so much passion, love and feeling that it passes my “likes” with time warp speed.  All of that to say, I’ve liked all of her books, that’s just how good All Lined Up was in my opinion.

So, what makes this books so great?  First of all it’s the plot.  I love the brief background and the concept of history repeating itself right from the beginning.  Here is Dallas Cole, coach’s daughter moving to college and her dad just happens to get the coaching job at her new home, Rusk University.  Then this is also where her high school sweetheart Levi went when he graduated.  At the very beginning of the story we see where her fate is going in two different directions.  Will she go down the path to new beginnings where she meets new people, such as Carson McClain and isn’t always going to be known as the coach’s daughter?  Or will she take the  old road, where she’s destined to be talked about in the locker room and approached by strangers at the grocery story who want to talk about last week’s game or her dad?  The same road from high school where she is destined to date the old QB and be the same girl standing quietly next to Coach going to church every Sunday and doing what the good girl does?  Or do both paths lead to the same destination?  I think you’ll have to read it to find out!

I was a little confused by the geography of where her high school was and where her college is.  Did her dad have to move to a new town when he got hired at Rusk University?  Or is her high school and college in the same town she has been in for several years since her last move?  When Dallas moves back into her dad’s house I felt like it was the same house that she must have been in for high school, but she never talked about it with any emotion or longing for home.  And maybe… that is the genius of it.  Maybe none of her homes ever felt like home because of her feelings of always being second place behind football to her dad.

I absolutely loved the characters of this book.  I really enjoyed Stella.  She was an excellent role of a best friend.  She was fun loving and an enjoyable character, but didn’t overpower the scenes she was in.  I also liked Ryan and his role in the story.   Of course what kind of book would it be without a book boyfriend like Carson McClain?  He was an excellent character to read and know his side of the story.  It was an overall excellent story and a great book.  I can’t wait to keep reading in the series, up next is All Broke Down.  It’s not next on my TBR pile, but I hope to get to it soon!  Keep Reading my Friend!

Finders Keepers

Keeping Her (Losing It 1.5) by Cora Carmack

After Losing it, we leave Bliss Edwards and Garrick Taylor in happy couple-dom… well, I guess bliss… But of course it can’t stay there, with their recent engagement, it’s time to go to England to meet the future in-laws and Bliss is worried sick about the trip.  Even with Garrick’s constant “distractions” she can’t shake the feeling that the love of her life’s mum is going to hate her.  When the trip starts off with a bang… or maybe I should say crash, all of Bliss’ nightmares come true with a broken vase and a sick gut.  Will Bliss be able to win her future Mother-in-law’s love or is she doomed to live a world away from an evil tyrant.

I loved Garrick and Bliss in Losing It.  It was an enchanting story with (let’s face it) a hot cover to match some pretty hot content.  I didn’t know how much I was going to like Faking It, but it was even better, so I was a little apprehensive to start this Novella knowing that I enjoyed the characters in Faking It so much better than Losing It.    

I liked this novella, it was short and sweet and now I’m looking forward Carmack’s third book, Finding It.  I have high hopes that it will be really good and I’ve already purchased it, but you know my reading schedule always have something lined up. 

If you are into the Losing it Series, then read this novella, it doesn’t stand alone, but it’s a great continuation to Bliss and Garrick’s story. 

Either way, keep reading my friends!!!

Mom, Dad, this is... what's your name again?

Faking It by Cora Carmack

Cade Winsten is getting his masters in Philadelphia, after graduating college and moving from Texas, but you can’t move away from everything when heartbreak follows you.  The love of his life Bliss Edwards also moved to Philly with her new boyfriend Garrick Taylor.  For more information about this said heartbreak and relationship please see Losing It by Cora Carmack. 

Cade is struggling.  He’s in school, but he’s having a hard time living with his broken heart.  Even meeting up with Bliss and Garrick for coffee causes heartache.  Fate just happened to be thinking about Cade and in walks Max.  This dual narrated book shows both Max and Cade’s perspective on an impromptu relationship that comes from faking a relationship.

I loved this book.  I just thought I loved Bliss and Garrick.  I really loved Max and Cade.  I loved how they saw themselves and each other.  I loved how different their internal voices sounded and I really enjoyed going back and forth and hearing the same interactions from the different perspectives.  I usually am more of a one Point of View book reader, but this was not distracting and it gave enlightenment on why situations were taking place.  I enjoyed it very much. 

Carmack has a great way of writing love scenes as well.  The audience felt every kiss and touch and missed it when they weren’t there too (as I stated before in my Losing It blog). 

I can’t wait until we see what’s in store for Kelsey in Finding It.

Keep Reading my Friends!

Going, Going, Gone.

Losing It by Cora Carmack

It.  The most non- descriptive word I’ve ever seen in a title that can mean so much.  Losing it.  Was Bliss Edwards losing something as trivial as her wallet, or as horrible as her mind?  Nope, we’re talking about the elusive IT, sex.  Bliss is an almost college graduate who is ready to lose her V-Card, or is she?  When she mistakenly tells her best girl-friend Kelsey that she was a virgin, “it” takes her life in a crazy tailspin.  She goes to a bar with the actual intent to have a one night stand and meets our British hunk Garrick Taylor.  With quite an interesting meeting and first night together, she hopes to never see Garrick again.  Well it would have been an extremely short book if that was true, but no more spoilers here, you’ll have to read it to see what happens.

This book is a New York Times best seller, but what I’ve seen on good reads has mixed reviews.  Most books, either the collective audience loves it with 4 or 5 stars or they are the dramatic opposite and they hate the book with 1or 2 stars.  With this book I saw a lot of 3’s.  Not sure what that has to do with anything except here I will tell you that I gave it four stars.  I liked the story.  I loved Bliss.  She was fun and she was an interesting character with many different levels.  Of course who wouldn’t love an English Hero like Garrick.  I was picturing Julian Morris (Wren from Pretty Little Liars), so cute!  Of course I tried to make him have an English accent in my head, but it just didn’t work out, guess we’ll have to push for a movie so we can hear Garrick in all his English glory.

There were so many scenes that I loved.  The spin the bottle make out party, was awesome because I have known many theater majors and this is something they would do and love it.  I also loved the sick bed chapters, seemed like a great way to move from their angst period.  I loved how much passion was written in these pages.  Carmack did a great job making me feel every kiss, every touch, and every moment that didn’t have those physical interactions.

Only complaints, would be that the story line was a little same ole same ole, luckily it was written well and therefore I didn’t mind the plot.  I also think the down or sad times could have been more angst felt, for example, when Garrick and Bliss aren’t talking it just felt like oh well, another day in the life of Bliss, but it could have been excruciating.  But if that’s all, you know that I liked the book.

I can’t wait to read Faking It.  Poor Cade, can’t wait to see what Carmack has in store for poor Cade.

Let me know what you think!  Have you read this book or anything from this author?  Keep Reading my Friends!