All Played Out by Cora Carmack ~ Tour Stop, Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour 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.

 

 

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Excerpt...

The door opens, and my stomach dips at the sight of Nell’s bleary eyes and rumpled hair. She squints at me, and then winces at the sunlight, instinctively taking a step back into the house.

I step in after her without waiting for an invitation, and shut the door firmly behind me.

“I brought coffee,” I say, lifting the tray up into her line of sight.

“Shhh!” She holds one hand up to me and the other to her forehead.

“I think,” she says, her voice raspy, “there’s a herd of elephants in my head.”

“Welcome to the world of hangovers, sweetheart.”

She blinks at me, then says matter-of-factly, “I’m going back to bed.”

She shuffles down the hallway, and I follow her, still holding the coffee carrier and resisting the urge to laugh. Then she swings her bedroom door wide, and doesn’t bother to close it before tumbling headlong into her bed. Again, I take that as permission, closing the door in case Dylan comes home unexpectedly.

Before Nell can slip back into sleep, I force the coffee into her hand.

“Drink a little of this,” I tell her. “It’ll help clear up the headache and nausea.” She doesn’t look like she believes me, but she takes a sip anyway. “Aspirin will help, too, if you have some.”

“Bathroom,” she says, and I go out to the hallway bathroom. I find a bottle in the second cabinet I open.

When I return to her room, she asks, “You find it?”

“I did. Right next to your box of tampons. The things I endure for you, woman.” She rolls her eyes and takes the aspirin, and she drinks about half the coffee before placing the cup on the nightstand and sinking back against her pillows. She must be feeling better because she finally asks the question I’d expected to hear the second she opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

I shrug, toe off my sneakers, and throw myself down on the covers on the other side of her bed. She groans when the mattress bounces, but other than that doesn’t complain.

“I knew you’d be miserable this morning ...”

“And you decided that was something you needed to see?”

“I decided I could be of some help. I’ve had more than my fair share of hangovers. When that coffee kicks in all the way, we’ll get you showered and dressed, and then we’ll go out for some greasy breakfast. You’ll be good as new in no time.”

“You’ve done this more than once? Are you crazy? I never want to drink again.”

“Everybody says that. If you don’t, you’re not doing it right.”

“I don’t feel like I did anything right.”

“You checked another thing off your list, didn’t you?”

She throws an arm over her eyes in lieu of an answer, and after a minute or so of silence, she asks, “Why are you really here?”

“I told you, I—”

“If you feel sorry for me because of what happened last night or what I said, don’t. Please. I’d really rather you just leave.”

“I can’t do that. Sorry.”

“Why?”

“Because last time I let you get away from me, you called some giant ginger-bearded monster to get you drunk, and look how well that turned out. Face it. You need me.”

She makes a groan that sounds vaguely laughlike. “Matt is not a monster.”

“We’ll agree to disagree.”

She sighs, and rolls on her side to face me. I suck in a breath because even hungover, she’s beautiful. And that fiery, challenging look in her eyes always goes straight to my cock.

“And if I had wanted to call you?” she asks. “I don’t have your number.”

“You could have just thought of me. I would have known and come running. I’m practically a superhero in that regard.”

“Riiight.”

“Why so disbelieving? Unless you thought of me, and it didn’t work? Were you thinking of me last night, girl genius?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“I thought about you. Even during the game last night when I should have been concentrating on not getting my ass kicked, you kept popping up. I think I might be addicted to you, Antonella De Luca.” 

“How do you know my full name?” 

“I might have done a little snooping last night while you were out of it. So you were valedictorian in high school, huh?”

“Just how much snooping did you do?”

“Relax. Your list is safe. I promised I wouldn’t read it, and I didn’t.” My eyes drop to her lips, which she keeps pressing together in what I assume is nervousness. “It was tempting, though.” 

All of her is tempting, and I should probably get out of this bed right now before I drag her beneath me and remind myself just what her skin tastes like. 

Regretfully, I pull myself up to a sitting position and say, “All right, sweetheart. Go shower so we can get breakfast. Unless you need assistance, then I’d be happy to—” 

She cuts me off. “No. No, I think I can handle that alone.”

“Pity,” I say. “Well, I’ll be here waiting in your bed in case you change your mind.” 

She stands up and faces me, still all cute and rumpled from sleep. “You are so ...” She trails off, and shakes her head, turning for the door instead. 

As she heads for the bathroom, I call out, “I’m so what? Charming? Devastatingly handsome?”

“You so better be in the living room by the time I’m done with my shower.” 

Damn. I’d been looking forward to seeing her in a towel. 

Next time. 

 

Review...

I've loved all three books in this series.  Loved them hard.  But I think Mateo is my favorite.  I think this book is my favorite of the series.  I think this book is in my top five for the year.

I love these characters.  I'd met Torres before and he was charming and adorable but now I know Mateo and he'll never be Torres to me again.  He wants all of Nell's firsts and with each one they share, he becomes more and more attached. He's patient with her and yet he challenges her.  He needs her, he just doesn't realize it right away. 

Nell needs Mateo too.  He balances her and brings out feeling in her she thought would never happen, thought couldn't happen.  Together they are yum.  And most importantly, Nell can see the future better in Mateo's arms.  I loved her logical mind and self doubt.  She feels real to me.

The story didn't go quite the way I expected which made me very happy.  I loved how I was surprised a few times as things played out between them.  They didn't take the normal path, but why should they?  They aren't the normal couple.

You want this book.  You want this series.  You want this author.  Just read it. 

 All Played Out Review/Excerpt Tour

May 7

BookAngel Booktopia-Review & Excerpt
Book Vigilante Reviews-Review & Excerpt
DanaSquare-Review & Excerpt
Britt’s Book & Life Blog-Review & Excerpt
Love at First Page-Review & Excerpt
Lulo Fangirl-Review & Excerpt
Red Hot + Blue Reads-Review & Excerpt
The Book Hammock-Review & Excerpt
WanderLust Book Reviews-Review & Excerpt

May 8

Ali’s Reviews & More-Review & Excerpt
Bloggers[Heart]Books-Review & Excerpt
BookCrushin-Review & Excerpt
Fictitious Delicious-Review & Excerpt
Kindle and Me-Review & Excerpt
NC 2 DC-Review
Sanaa’s Book Blog-Review & Excerpt
The Reading Realm-Review & Excerpt

May 9

Addicted to Books-Review & Excerpt
Booklovers For Life-Excerpt
Crazy Chaotic Book Babes-Review
Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc.-Review & Excerpt
Confessions of a Y.A. and N.A. Book Addict-Review & Excerpt
Short and Sassy Book Blurbs-Review & Excerpt
This Wacky Momma Reads-Review & Excerpt
Winter Haven Books-Review

May 10

Anatea’s Bookshelf-Review & Excerpt
BookStacked Blog-Review & Excerpt
Stacks Waiting-Excerpt
Behind Closed Covers-Review & Excerpt
buttermybooks-Review & Excerpt
Random Book Muses-Review
One Guy’s Guide to Good Reads-Review & Excerpt
Ticket to Anywhere-Excerpt
What a Nerd Girl Says-Review & Excerpt

May 11

Always YA At Heart-Review & Excerpt
Book Briefs-Review
Girl Meets Books-Excerpt
Books by Migs-Review & Excerpt
Kimberlyfaye Reads-Excerpt
Prisoners of Print-Review & Excerpt
Snuggling On The Sofa-Review
Travels N Reads-Review & Excerpt 
Words With Sarah-Review & Excerpt

May 12

Book Labyrinth-Review & Excerpt
FMR Book Grind-Review 
Margay Leah Justice-Review & Excerpt
New Adult Addiction-Excerpt
Reviews by Tammy & Kim-Review & Excerpt
Tar Heel Bibliobabe-Review 
Vi3tbabe-Review & Excerpt

May 13

Babbling Chatter Reads-Review
Book Sojourner-Review & Excerpt
Bridger Bitches Book Blog-Review & Excerpt
Grown Up Book Reviews-Review & Excerpt
Read Between the Books-Review & Excerpt
Reese’s Review-Review & Excerpt
What Sarah Read-Review & Excerpt
Romance Addict Book Blog-Review & Excerpt
Reading is Sexy-Review & Excerpt

May 14

Bibliobelles-Review & Excerpt
Book Butterfly in Dreamland-Review
Hopeless Book Lovers-Review & Excerpt
jordansbookreviews-Excerpt
Nomi’s Paranormal Palace-Review
Ripe For Reader-Review & Excerpt
The Secret Life of a Bookworm-Review & Excerpt
Stay Bookish-Review & Excerpt
Never Judge A Book By It’s Covers-Review & Excerpt

May 15

Book Bitches Blog-Review & Excerpt
Books and Swoons-Review and Excerpt
Jen in Bookland-Review & Excerpt
I Dare You To Read-Review & Excerpt
Lost in Lit-Review & Excerpt
Zili in the Sky-Review & Excerpt
The Slanted Bookshelf-Review & Excerpt
Stuck in Books-Review & Excerpt

May 16

Closet Geeks and Slow Mo-Review & Excerpt
Dark Obsession Chronicles-Review & Excerpt
Making It Happen-Review & Excerpt
Mia’s Point of View-Review & Excerpt
In Clouds of Pages-Review & Excerpt
That Book Life-Review & Excerpt
The Book Belles-Review 
Stuck in YA Books-Review 
A Bookish Escape-Review

bout 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.

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!

 

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 ** Author Goodreads ** ALL PLAYED OUT Goodreads

 

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