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All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel
All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel
All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel
Audiobook8 hours

All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

In the third book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s Rusk University series, a good girl is about to find out what happens when she creates the ultimate college bucket list and she sets her sights on a jock.

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.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateMay 12, 2015
ISBN9780062373489
All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel
Author

Cora Carmack

Cora Carmack is a twentysomething New York Times bestselling author who likes to write about twentysomething characters. Raised in a small Texas town, she now lives in New York City and spends her time writing, traveling, and marathoning various television shows on Netflix.

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Reviews for All Played Out

Rating: 4.321428654761904 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

84 ratings9 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The third and simply incredible story that brings together the shy and sweet dancer with the all clothes off energetic football player deliver enticement and sweet sexiness you delight in.All Played Out is a story of journey and growth and love and I simply adored the way that Cora Carmack wrote this book. I definitely think that this book is probably my favorite of this series so far because well the hero is hilarious and fun and I just wanted him to find his story and to find more depth to this character. In the first two books we just see him as the “goofball” of the team. And whenever he gets drinking, the clothes start to come off and its pretty fun. But in All Played Out we see how he strives to be more and to get people to see him more than his goofy personality, to actually take him seriously and then he meets the girl that changes him.The key players of All Played Out :Antonella DeLuca, our heroine, is the brains, she focuses on her schoolwork and does great at it, but in her last year she wants to experience some fun with her LIST. She is innocent and sweet.Mateo Torres, the entertaining hero, is all about fun and parties and girls and loves his beer. He is rowdy and fun and has no shy bone in his body.All Played Out begins when our heroine wants to do more than just study. She is starting to realize that she has really missed out on the full “college experience” and wants to actually experience it in the way that many around her do. When her roommate drags her to a ultimate frisbee game with her boyfriend and his football buds she is nervous since she doesn’t hang out with that crowd. But then she meets Mateo who has set his eyes on her and doesn’t want anyone else. When she shares her desire to cross off certain items off of her list, he is more than willing to be her partner. As she explores in her new adventures of college life, she discovers a love she didn’t plan on but wants to fight for."Because Mateo Torres is loud, and I’m quiet. Because he’s reckless, and I’m cautious. Because he belongs everywhere, and I don’t."Oh how much love did I have for this story and man Mateo is one sexy hero and I just fell so hard for this playboy He just has this charismatic and sexy side to him that is so appealing and works so well for a hero that plays ball. And he really lightens up our heroine Nell. She is a bit too serious (which I can totally relate to) so Mateo is the type of man she really needs to make her laugh and see the fun side of life. Our heroine is a lady many readers can relate with and will enjoy reading. So she sweet and shy and awkward and really smart. She is very innocent so she just doesn’t understand the college party culture and I liked seeing how she handled putting her feet in the water and seeing the way that she wants to be more and just LIVE life. We see how our super intelligent heroine learns that living in the moment can do more than getting the best grades. Nell is very driven of course but we also see another part of her become more energetic."What I’m realizing is that living isn’t about what you achieve, but how you achieve it."The romance that builds between them is so sexy and charming and I just wanted their story to be real. I adored the way that this book was written and seeing them explore new experiences together. A story that will revitalize and renew the reader with a new experience of reading and will make you feel young again!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    my favorite of the series
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh, this was fun. I realized after winning this title and cracking the first chapter, the gang was all here... I've read the first two in this series. A welcome surprise. You do not need to read the first two in the series to understand this one however, you may have some spoilerish plot points revealed if this series is read out of order. This was my favorite to date.Where we left off last, back in college, Miss Quiet Geek Girl meets Mr Flirty Football Player upon her initial quest to finish her college bucket list, all before graduation in 2 months. Between her comfort zone and insecurities to his past baggage and something to prove, even if only to himself, an unlikely friendship is born. A budding relationship forged from attraction and camped between each of their defense mechanisms, her brutal honesty and his perpetual snark, the old adage unfolds, college style: Opposites do attract. Overall, a quick, fun read, semi predictable, but still quite engaging.Many thanks to publisher Harper Collins and Librarything Early Readers for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this story as well as the two lead characters Antonella (“Nell”) DeLuca and Mateo Torres.Nell was a responsible young lady who did her best to chart her life since her dad had disengaged from her after they lost Nell’s mother. The only problem was that Nell’s dad coached the football team and the only guy Nell has liked in a long time was football player Mateo.I liked the progress of their relationship, as both were really focused on doing what they needed to get into college. While they felt an attraction, Nell and Mateo had to carefully weigh whether a relationship would hinder their aspirations.I feel like the author did a good job of not making this story insta-love and giving us two f flawed, yet well-developed characters. I liked the flow of the story, it wasn’t too slow but the author definitely took her time to set the stage for these too. You couldn’t help but root for them to achieve admittance into college as well as see that they could be a couple. It was a fun story and I will read the next on the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4 "College Bucket List" Stars! Being a lover of sports and new adult romances, All Played Out was the perfect blend of both. Bringing together the happy go lucky, live for today jock with the hard working perpetual planner, "girl genius", Cora Carmack scores a touchdown for those looking for an easy, fun and entertaining romance.Antonella "Nell" DeLuca is all set to graduate in two months when she realizes that she due to her incredible expediency (completing her college courses in 2 1/2 years), she just may have missed out on the full college experience (ie, the social life aspects of college). So she does what any good organized hard worker would do: she makes a bucket list.Interestingly, one of the first items on the list is a "hook up with a jock", so when she meets wide receiver Mateo Torres, she ignores her friends warnings and continues to hang out with him. Mateo "Torres" has no issues in the social department, and is more than happy to help Nell accomplish her firsts. However, as the unlikely pair start spending more and more time together, they can't help but feel that they share something more deeper and meaningful than just a college fling. But given their disparate backgrounds could their possibly be a HEA in their future? All Played Out brings together the exuberance of trying new things in college along with some serious introspective identity forming quandaries and wraps it all together with a sweet and fun romance. Additionally, Cora Carmack highlights a serious issue in youth sports today: head injuries, concussions and the devastating consequences that such injuries can lead to if left unattended. All in all, I thought Cora Carmack met all my expectations with this new adult, college football romance. Now I hope to go back and read some of the other titles in the Rusk University series (all of which center around college football players and their love lives).Source: Review copy provided by Library Thing Early Reviewers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: All Played Out is a sexy read that is just pure entertainment! This is my favorite of the series so far and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great NA contemporary romance story!Opening Sentence: There’s a half-naked man in my kitchen.The Review:Antonella De Luca has spent most of her college years studying and getting ready to attend graduate school. She never made time for anything as silly as boys or parties. Nell knows what she is good at and socializing with other people is not one of her better qualities. She is on course to graduate early and she can’t wait. Then one day her roommate points out that she hasn’t really experienced the college life to the fullest because she has only focused on the academic part of college. Nell decides to run an experiment and see if she is really missing anything by not participating in the “normal” college things. She makes a bucket list that will force her to step outside of her comfort zone. Then she meets Mateo Torres and he shatters all her thoughts of what she really needs to be happy!Mateo Torres or better known as just Torres is a wide receiver for the Rusk University football team. Torres is basically your ideal party boy. He likes to keep things causal and he is a total flirt because he’s not interested in ever getting his heart broken again. When he meets Nell for the first time he is instantly attracted to her, but she’s not the type of girl he normally dates. She is gorgeous and way to smart for someone like him, but he can’t seem to get her off his mind. When he discovers her bucket list, he decides to make it his mission to help her acclaim posh everything on the list.As the two of them spend more time together things start to heat up between them. Soon they are both falling and that’s not something either of them planned on. Can two very different people from very different worlds really make a relationship last?Nell is such a fun and interesting character. She’s extremely intelligent, witty, analytical, and kind of anti-social. I love her academic mind and how she turns everything in her life into an experiment. She comes across as shy at first, but really she is just not interested in being very social. That’s pretty much the entire point of the to-do list she has created. She wants to finally experience the college atmosphere and do things that normal college students are doing. I think one of the best things about the story was you get to experience so many firsts with Nell. You get to watch her character grow so much throughout her journey, and it made my connection with her a lot stronger. Watching her realize that she can actually fall in love for the first time was really sweet and heartwarming. Watching her open herself up to the idea of having friends and being in a relationship was really great. I loved everything about Nell and I’m so glad I got to read her story!Torres is one of those funny guys that always has a smile and is extremely charming. It seems like he can never be serious at first, but as you get to know him you realize the flirty banter and outgoing persona he displays is actually a defensive mechanism so people don’t see the real him. He has been hurt in the past and doesn’t want to ever feel that way again. Because of a bad past relationship he has steered clear of ever getting serious with anyone. Football is his life and until he meets Nell he is okay with just having football and random hookups. His relationship with Nell is explosive. They have an instant connection and extremely hot chemistry! At first they don’t seem like they would be very compatible, but they are actually really good for each other. Torres is such a complex character and I thought he was a very swoon worthy book boy.All Played Out was a great sexy read full of growth, emotions, and humor. I have read all the books in the Rusk university series and really enjoyed all of them, but I think this one was my favorite. I really connected with the characters and the story was really entertaining. The romance was done perfectly even though it developed really fast, it still felt realistic to me. Like all good contemporary stories there is tons of drama, but it’s not overdone. The pacing was great and it was a fairly quick ready or me. I sat down to read it and found myself staying up way too late to finish it. I think Cormack has such amazing writing and she really knows how to create a steamy scenes! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Stella has always been one of my favorite characters in the series and I know her story is going to be amazing. If you are a new adult romance fan you should definitely check out this series!Notable Scene:“Oh, psssh. You are twenty years old. And you are brilliant and beautiful and driven, but you are not perfect, despite how often it seems so.” I do a weird, gurgly , sobbing laugh, and I can’t help but think about Torres last night. He called me perfect. Several times. But that was an entirely different kind of compliment, and one that has no business sneaking in around thoughts of my mom. She continues , “You are allowed to make mistakes, Nell. And even though it might seem right now like one mistake is enough to derail your entire future, it’s not.”“You don’t understand, Mom.”“Don’t I? I might not have gone to college or picked some high-tech career, but we all make choices . You don’t think I agonized over whether or not to marry your father? You don’t think both of us had doubts about taking over the restaurant? You don’t think it’s terrifying to raise children? To know that every choice you make not only determines your future, but theirs, too? The future is never just one choice. It’s a thousand. And they never stop. You will choose your future every day of your life. And should you wake up one day to find that you regret the choice you made the day before, then you make a new one. Don’t worry about whether you might be wrong someday. Worry about whether you’re right now. Tomorrow can wait.”“Tomorrow can wait,” I repeat. The tears are still flowing, but I no longer feel like I’m choking on some invisible ache in my throat. I no longer have to gasp for breath.“It can,” she promises . “No point worrying about what happens at the end of the road when there’s a hundred steps to take before you get there. You worry about today’s step. Because I promise you, passerotta, there will come a day when you stop obsessing over what lies ahead and begin to look backward instead. And when that day comes, it won’t matter so much whether every step was in the right direction because life is not a straight line. It will only matter that you took them. That you never let yourself stand still.”“I don’t know why people always call me the smart one,” I say. “You definitely have me beat.” She laughs, and the soundFTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of All Played Out. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in the series until I began reading. Totally my fault, but it was a little difficult to get into the story because of this. There were some parts that felt repetitive, but I still plan to pick up book #1 and read. This may certainly change my mind about this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very relatable. I didn't realize this was the third in a series, I'm so excited to go back and read the other book. All through reading I wanted more info on the other characters. I would have liked more back story but all in all it was a great read and I highly recommend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thanks to Early Reviewers for this ARCI liked All Played Out, the third book in Carmack's Rusk University Series. It makes Torres, who has been a side character in the first two books, the main character of this one. It was nice to see another side to him other than the joker that we see in All Broke Down. The other main character Nell is Dylan's roommate and she was briefly introduced in the second book. She's super driven and focused towards graduating and starting her career. In other words the complete opposite of Torres, which made them a great couple.This one was good but I definitely enjoyed the other two books more. I can't wait to see what is next in the series.