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pixelski's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the way All Lined Up was character driven and I love Cora Carmack's writing as always. Will never understand Americans and football though. Also, there wasn't much to the plot but I guess the family aspect with the father daughter relationship was refreshing.
merkyr's review against another edition
4.0
Such fun. Love the direction this new series is taking, can't go wrong with a NA Friday Night Lights as far as I am concerned!
bergamotandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Cute, quick read. Looking forward to the next!
jeannethinks's review against another edition
4.0
It took me forever to finally get to this book, I mean really I bought it when it was first released..but it was so worth it. I procrastinate when I know there are more in the series and then read them all at once. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on the life of the coaches daughter. I truly enjoyed getting to know Carson and Daredevil aka Dallas. Now off to read the next two books and wishing the last two were already out. Cora you can totally stop at five...I'm really good with that. A nice odd number for us, cause you know we're oddballs.
I particularly like your continuing to throw a little bit of yourself in with the Harry Potter and Dr. Who!
I particularly like your continuing to throw a little bit of yourself in with the Harry Potter and Dr. Who!
jaimejustreadsromance's review against another edition
5.0
If I wasn't obsessed with Garrick and Bliss and wouldn't somehow feel as though I was being unfaithful to them, I could clearly claim this to be Cora's best book yet. I won't even get into the fact that I'm swooning over a college kid who is at least 17 years my junior.
I like Dallas and Carson as individuals but fell in love with them as a couple. Dallas is smart, opinionated, and knows what she wants even though heartbreak in the past keeps her from going for it right away. Dallas was sweet, focused and far more mature than some of his peers. Together they were patient and understanding, sweet, yet hot and I was rooting for them to make it from the moment they met.
Dallas's dad was somewhat frustrating but knowing that he was a single father raising his daughter after her mother left them allowed me to have a soft spot in my heart and hope that he would eventually right the wrongs he had done while raising Dallas.
Stella, the wild and rambunctious best friend was a hoot, I'm hoping that her story is part of the series yet to come, with Ryan maybe? She was exactly the person that Dallas needed to help her step outside of herself if only for a moment and experience college life in the way it's meant to be experienced, but she also is very protective of her.
As usual, the writing was perfection, the plot simple and realistic, the characters swoonworthy and real enough that I want to hang out with them. Cora Carmack can do no wrong.
I'm already counting down the days until we get to read Silas' story in book #2.
*I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
I like Dallas and Carson as individuals but fell in love with them as a couple. Dallas is smart, opinionated, and knows what she wants even though heartbreak in the past keeps her from going for it right away. Dallas was sweet, focused and far more mature than some of his peers. Together they were patient and understanding, sweet, yet hot and I was rooting for them to make it from the moment they met.
Dallas's dad was somewhat frustrating but knowing that he was a single father raising his daughter after her mother left them allowed me to have a soft spot in my heart and hope that he would eventually right the wrongs he had done while raising Dallas.
Stella, the wild and rambunctious best friend was a hoot, I'm hoping that her story is part of the series yet to come, with Ryan maybe? She was exactly the person that Dallas needed to help her step outside of herself if only for a moment and experience college life in the way it's meant to be experienced, but she also is very protective of her.
As usual, the writing was perfection, the plot simple and realistic, the characters swoonworthy and real enough that I want to hang out with them. Cora Carmack can do no wrong.
I'm already counting down the days until we get to read Silas' story in book #2.
*I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
All Lined Up, the first book in the Rusk University series, is nothing short of spectacular. Cora Carmack has a sure hit on her hands with this one. It’s the perfect blend of football, forbidden romance, and family bonding.
All Lined Up is the story of Dallas Cole, daughter to college football coach at Rusk University, and dancer extraordinaire. She’s tired of living in the shadow of her father’s legacy and all she wanted from college was to get away from it all. However, plans changed when her dad accepted the coaching job at Rusk, the same place Dallas is starting her freshman year. Dallas is determined to leave the football life behind her but that’s easier said than done when she starts falling for backup QB, Carter McClain.
All Lined Up has Cora Carmack’s usual sense of humor and while Dallas isn’t nearly as awkward as some of the characters in the Losing It trilogy, she does have some of the same qualities as those main characters which definitely helps her be easy to relate to. She does seem a little cold at first but it’s easy to see that she has been hurt in the past and does not have the best luck with guys. With the help of her best friend, Stella (Dallas’ total opposite), Dallas starts to open up and be a bit more optimistic about life in college and all it has to offer. Stella is quite the funny character and I liked how she helped balance out Dallas. Then there was Carter. Carter was a great guy but he did sometimes seem a little too perfect, at least at first. Don’t let that turn you off though. He does have his flaws, it just takes a little time for readers to see them. That doesn’t mean he’s not a wonderful guy though. I loved him.
The football aspect was fabulously done. I have come to really love any young adult/new adult sports related books and All Lined Up is at the top of my list of recommendations for books in that category. Cora Carmack does not overdo it with the sports or the lingo or anything like that. I know some things about football but not enough to play the game. Cora Carmack throws in just enough knowledge so that readers know what’s going on but not enough to be overbearing. It’s the perfect balance.
The romance is just as steamy as I’ve come to expect from Cora Carmack. I was greatly impressed with how realistic the relationship was and how mature both Dallas and Carter were about everything. They do have an immediate attraction but luckily it’s nothing that would be considered insta-love. Dallas and Carter spend a lot of time together getting to know each other and what they want from each other before they take things to the next level. It was refreshingly well done.
Overall, All Lined Up is the perfect read for new adult fans as well as fans of Cora Carmack. It’s a wonderful start to the Rusk University series and I can’t wait for the next story.
All Lined Up is the story of Dallas Cole, daughter to college football coach at Rusk University, and dancer extraordinaire. She’s tired of living in the shadow of her father’s legacy and all she wanted from college was to get away from it all. However, plans changed when her dad accepted the coaching job at Rusk, the same place Dallas is starting her freshman year. Dallas is determined to leave the football life behind her but that’s easier said than done when she starts falling for backup QB, Carter McClain.
All Lined Up has Cora Carmack’s usual sense of humor and while Dallas isn’t nearly as awkward as some of the characters in the Losing It trilogy, she does have some of the same qualities as those main characters which definitely helps her be easy to relate to. She does seem a little cold at first but it’s easy to see that she has been hurt in the past and does not have the best luck with guys. With the help of her best friend, Stella (Dallas’ total opposite), Dallas starts to open up and be a bit more optimistic about life in college and all it has to offer. Stella is quite the funny character and I liked how she helped balance out Dallas. Then there was Carter. Carter was a great guy but he did sometimes seem a little too perfect, at least at first. Don’t let that turn you off though. He does have his flaws, it just takes a little time for readers to see them. That doesn’t mean he’s not a wonderful guy though. I loved him.
The football aspect was fabulously done. I have come to really love any young adult/new adult sports related books and All Lined Up is at the top of my list of recommendations for books in that category. Cora Carmack does not overdo it with the sports or the lingo or anything like that. I know some things about football but not enough to play the game. Cora Carmack throws in just enough knowledge so that readers know what’s going on but not enough to be overbearing. It’s the perfect balance.
The romance is just as steamy as I’ve come to expect from Cora Carmack. I was greatly impressed with how realistic the relationship was and how mature both Dallas and Carter were about everything. They do have an immediate attraction but luckily it’s nothing that would be considered insta-love. Dallas and Carter spend a lot of time together getting to know each other and what they want from each other before they take things to the next level. It was refreshingly well done.
Overall, All Lined Up is the perfect read for new adult fans as well as fans of Cora Carmack. It’s a wonderful start to the Rusk University series and I can’t wait for the next story.
smojoreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time, at least that I can remember, that I started and finished a book in one day. I seriously could not put the thing down. I was already in love with Cora Carmack before I picked this book up but now I have elevated her to goddess status in my head.
colecordium's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I read from Cora and I wasn't disappointed. I really love her writing style and her characters are light and funny.
I'm not really interested in football or any kind of sports whatsoever (except dancing, I loved that there was dancing in it) and I don't know jack about it but I liked this book so much. Almost all the characters were lovely and nice.
Dallas was kind of like me but I'm not as much of a people pleaser as she is. Her character developement was beautiful and how she grew throughout the story fascinated me.
Carson was a total dream guy everyone would fall for. Although I felt like he was searching himself at least half of the book, I think he found himself quite nicely by the end.
Their relationship was very very real, not rushed at all. They started out as friends and slowly built their trust in each other.
Why I still gave it four stars? Because their "big fight" seemed really exaggerated and how they hadn't talked for a while because of a small thing like that. And maybe I expected a bigger catarsis at the ending.
But all in all, this was a real nice story and I already started the second book. :)
I'm not really interested in football or any kind of sports whatsoever (except dancing, I loved that there was dancing in it) and I don't know jack about it but I liked this book so much. Almost all the characters were lovely and nice.
Dallas was kind of like me but I'm not as much of a people pleaser as she is. Her character developement was beautiful and how she grew throughout the story fascinated me.
Carson was a total dream guy everyone would fall for. Although I felt like he was searching himself at least half of the book, I think he found himself quite nicely by the end.
Their relationship was very very real, not rushed at all. They started out as friends and slowly built their trust in each other.
Why I still gave it four stars? Because their "big fight" seemed really exaggerated and how they hadn't talked for a while because of a small thing like that. And maybe I expected a bigger catarsis at the ending.
But all in all, this was a real nice story and I already started the second book. :)
lcmarie19's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. My. GOSH! I'm on FIRE from this book! The feels, the feels, the FEELS! I need a drink. Cora Carmack, you ROCK my world! I finished this book in less than FIVE HOURS! It was THAT fantastic, THAT enthralling, THAT hot! I haven't even finished the Losing It series, but I knew that I needed to read this book as SOON as it came out. Because I've heard NOTHING but great things!
ALU is a sports focused story, which drew me in immediately. I am a football fan. A HUGE one. I grew up with football because my mother grew up with three brothers, who loved football. So guess what she passed down to me. A love for Texas teams - college and professional. So right away, I am in LOVE with Dallas Cole (her name and her knowledge of the game). Dallas' father is a football coach who, because he's a single father with a teenage daughter, instilled ALL he knew about the sport into her brain. She, unwilling, develops a love/hate relationship with the sport because she always felt second to football in her father's eyes. Dallas, an aspiring dancer, is strong-willed, honest, beautiful, smart, and just all around fascinating. I liked her from page one.
Then we have Carson McClain, a walk-on football player (or that's what he aims to be once he gets Coach Cole to notice him), with an extremely humble beginning. Cole is the perfect depiction of how I wish my encounters with college athletes were. He's sweet, flirtatious, humble, loyal, protective, and just a really decent guy. From the moment, Cora introduced him to me, I fell. Hard. I immediately trusted him to do right by Dallas, the girl that I already began to care about.
The meet-cute (that's a film/tv term, but it's definitely appropriate in this case) was perfect. Carson's instant flirting game was on. Dallas tried to fight, but was failing miserably. I just found myself wanting them to have all good things in life right away. But both characters had so much to deal with. Dallas, a controlling father coupled with her own mental prison (insecurities, fear, etc.) and Carson, with his focus on getting a position on the Rusk University football team as well as a scholarship. As a walk-on, that's really hard to do, so it required a lot of focus. They both struggled to balance their mutual attraction with their personal goals. Not to mention, that Dallas aversion to all things football put up another wall of protection of what Carson represented for her.
Carmack does a phenomenal job of painting the picture of what it's like to be a coach's daughter. The responsibility, burden, expectation that it comes with. Watching Dallas struggle was hard, but it was done so well. It was honest, it was believable. Her depiction of Carson as a walk-on "football practicer" was great as well. You witnessed all of the blood and sweat that went into being noticed. And Cora showed you what happens when those worlds collide. When a battle of the heart overpowers the need to protect it.
The character development of Dallas and Carson was done so seamlessly. There was never a time where I felt something more could have been done with these two characters. And the supporting characters, from Stella to Ryan to Levi to Sila to the delicious Coach Cole (yes, I LOVED him), were perfect. How they interacted with Dallas and Carson, how they aided in their development -- it was so fluid and natural.
The emotional and/or intimate scenes between our two lead characters were absolutely feels-worthy. I felt so much. They were written in such a way that you couldn't help but be a little warm after reading them. Cora has a way a writing just enough to keep you wanting more. And there's satisfaction in that. I was rooting for these two before I even know I was. It was obvious how attracted they were to one another, to us as readers, more than anything.
One of my favorite themes of this book is: forgiveness and healing. Witnessing the forgiveness of friends and family, while seeing the healing of new and old relationships. It's a very well-rounded story. There's so much more than what's presented to you at face value. Dallas had some realizations to reach, as did Carson. And it was a beautiful gift waiting to be unwrapped.
I loved it all. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop laughing. There were some zingers through the book that I want tattooed on my body! As well as some very perfect quotes that hit me personally.
I could honestly go on and on about this book. There's no stopping me. But it would get repetitive. Basically, if you want sports, love, family, friendship, humor, and an all-around fun time. This is the book for you!
ALU is a sports focused story, which drew me in immediately. I am a football fan. A HUGE one. I grew up with football because my mother grew up with three brothers, who loved football. So guess what she passed down to me. A love for Texas teams - college and professional. So right away, I am in LOVE with Dallas Cole (her name and her knowledge of the game). Dallas' father is a football coach who, because he's a single father with a teenage daughter, instilled ALL he knew about the sport into her brain. She, unwilling, develops a love/hate relationship with the sport because she always felt second to football in her father's eyes. Dallas, an aspiring dancer, is strong-willed, honest, beautiful, smart, and just all around fascinating. I liked her from page one.
Then we have Carson McClain, a walk-on football player (or that's what he aims to be once he gets Coach Cole to notice him), with an extremely humble beginning. Cole is the perfect depiction of how I wish my encounters with college athletes were. He's sweet, flirtatious, humble, loyal, protective, and just a really decent guy. From the moment, Cora introduced him to me, I fell. Hard. I immediately trusted him to do right by Dallas, the girl that I already began to care about.
The meet-cute (that's a film/tv term, but it's definitely appropriate in this case) was perfect. Carson's instant flirting game was on. Dallas tried to fight, but was failing miserably. I just found myself wanting them to have all good things in life right away. But both characters had so much to deal with. Dallas, a controlling father coupled with her own mental prison (insecurities, fear, etc.) and Carson, with his focus on getting a position on the Rusk University football team as well as a scholarship. As a walk-on, that's really hard to do, so it required a lot of focus. They both struggled to balance their mutual attraction with their personal goals. Not to mention, that Dallas aversion to all things football put up another wall of protection of what Carson represented for her.
Carmack does a phenomenal job of painting the picture of what it's like to be a coach's daughter. The responsibility, burden, expectation that it comes with. Watching Dallas struggle was hard, but it was done so well. It was honest, it was believable. Her depiction of Carson as a walk-on "football practicer" was great as well. You witnessed all of the blood and sweat that went into being noticed. And Cora showed you what happens when those worlds collide. When a battle of the heart overpowers the need to protect it.
The character development of Dallas and Carson was done so seamlessly. There was never a time where I felt something more could have been done with these two characters. And the supporting characters, from Stella to Ryan to Levi to Sila to the delicious Coach Cole (yes, I LOVED him), were perfect. How they interacted with Dallas and Carson, how they aided in their development -- it was so fluid and natural.
The emotional and/or intimate scenes between our two lead characters were absolutely feels-worthy. I felt so much. They were written in such a way that you couldn't help but be a little warm after reading them. Cora has a way a writing just enough to keep you wanting more. And there's satisfaction in that. I was rooting for these two before I even know I was. It was obvious how attracted they were to one another, to us as readers, more than anything.
One of my favorite themes of this book is: forgiveness and healing. Witnessing the forgiveness of friends and family, while seeing the healing of new and old relationships. It's a very well-rounded story. There's so much more than what's presented to you at face value. Dallas had some realizations to reach, as did Carson. And it was a beautiful gift waiting to be unwrapped.
I loved it all. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop laughing. There were some zingers through the book that I want tattooed on my body! As well as some very perfect quotes that hit me personally.
I could honestly go on and on about this book. There's no stopping me. But it would get repetitive. Basically, if you want sports, love, family, friendship, humor, and an all-around fun time. This is the book for you!
nannyf's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating 3.5
I haven't read a lot of football based books, but I always go into a book with an open mind. This book was a nice change from the books I've read lately for several reasons, and it ended up being a good read.
Dallas starts college hoping for a fresh start, with no preconceptions about her. Unfortunately that isn't what she gets when her father takes a job at the same college. She still hopes to somehow slip under the radar. But again, that doesn't happen.
Carson just wants to play football, it is all he has wanted to do for as long as he can remember. But he has to give it his all, allow no distractions if he wants to achieve his goal. He doesn't count on meeting Dallas, and all his carefully laid plans begin to fall apart.
The relationships in this book are, I feel, what makes it. Not only the obvious one between Dallas and Carson, but also between Dallas and her father. What makes this book like a breath of fresh air for me is that the romantic relationship which builds between Dallas and Carson is just that, a romantic one. The physical side of it doesn't come into it at all until right at the end. I feel that by doing this the author has written a story which sits well with me as it is based on young adults taking it slowly. Hats off to her for not rushing into something which would, for me at least, have changed the tone of the story totally.
All in all a good read and I will definitely be checking out future books in this series.
I haven't read a lot of football based books, but I always go into a book with an open mind. This book was a nice change from the books I've read lately for several reasons, and it ended up being a good read.
Dallas starts college hoping for a fresh start, with no preconceptions about her. Unfortunately that isn't what she gets when her father takes a job at the same college. She still hopes to somehow slip under the radar. But again, that doesn't happen.
Carson just wants to play football, it is all he has wanted to do for as long as he can remember. But he has to give it his all, allow no distractions if he wants to achieve his goal. He doesn't count on meeting Dallas, and all his carefully laid plans begin to fall apart.
The relationships in this book are, I feel, what makes it. Not only the obvious one between Dallas and Carson, but also between Dallas and her father. What makes this book like a breath of fresh air for me is that the romantic relationship which builds between Dallas and Carson is just that, a romantic one. The physical side of it doesn't come into it at all until right at the end. I feel that by doing this the author has written a story which sits well with me as it is based on young adults taking it slowly. Hats off to her for not rushing into something which would, for me at least, have changed the tone of the story totally.
All in all a good read and I will definitely be checking out future books in this series.