Review: All Played Out – Cora Carmack

All Played Out by Cora Carmack
Series: Rusk University,
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: May 12th 2015
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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.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I can’t lie. All Played Out was in a tough spot from the start. It was a given that I would read it and enjoy it, but there was no way it would live up to my love for Silas’ story in All Lined Up. And truthfully, it didn’t. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. Actually I liked it more than I had anticipated.

All Played Out continues the story of the boys on the Rusk University football team focusing on wide receiver Mateo Torres. Torres is anything but serious. He’s a party guy that can never be tied down. The only thing he takes seriously is football and he’s happy that way. That is until Antonella DeLuca is brought into the fold. Nell is anything but a party girl. She has had one goal from the get go and that is to finish college (early even) and move on to the real world. But Nell has missed out on one thing, the true college experience. When she makes a list of things to do before she graduates and Torres offers his services, Nell may be in for more than she bargained for. And Torres may find out it could be time to get serious about something else…love.

True that Silas is still my favorite I found Torres very endearing in All Played Out. He was totally goofy and light hearted, but he also had a really emotional side to him that he kept hidden. I liked learning that layer of him. And I really liked him dynamic with Nell. They were definitely a ying and yang, but they somehow balance each other out. They also has great banter which made them going through Nell’s list a really fun experience. But what I really likes was how Nell brought out the serious side of Torres and how Torres made Nell relax and actually enjoy college and not be so perfect.

Although All Played Out could never live up to my love of All Lined Up, it found a new place in my heart. Torres and Nell told a story of their own and it was a story I liked. It wasn’t my favorite in the series but one I was happy to read. Now can I finally have Stella’s story??!!

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