Review: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Goodreads Summary:

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.(less)

Publication Date: May 13, 2014

This book was so cute! I love Cora Carmack’s books and All Lined Up didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the slow-building romance between Dallas and Carson. I especially loved that the story was built around Texas football.

I was melting over how Dallas met Carson. Their first kiss at the party was equal parts sweet and hot. Dallas has been screwed over by jerky football players, but Carson breaks the trend for her. Her father is the team’s football coach and that fact has a tendency to make her leery of getting involved with players. Carson feels a bit like an outcast on the team and is driven to play for Rusk University despite being a walk on. Both characters were easy to cheer for.

The pace was good and there wasn’t too much angst between the characters. The things keeping Carson and Dallas apart felt realistic since it involved issues that college age new adults often face.  

The book is definitely more sensual than sexual and I really loved that the two leads didn’t jump into bed together. The relationship developed at a very gradual pace and I enjoyed how both characters grew close as they spent more time together. Carson was definitely a sweetie and I probably liked the chapters told in his POV a tad more than the ones from Dallas.

Overall, a great read for fans of YA and NA books! I love Carmack’s writing style and can’t wait to read more from her.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book for review!