All Lined Up by Cora Carmack [Review]

 Title: All Lined Up
Author: Cora Carmack
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN:  0062326201
Release Date: May 13, 2014


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.

This title intrigued me because of the football aspect. I'll go ahead and say it - as a girl from the South football is a way of life, a religion, whatever you want to call it - but it is important.  Very important.

That is something that I loved about this book because it captured it very well.

Dallas (named after the Dallas Cowboys) has grown up around football, her father being the coach of numerous teams throughout her life. He seems to have a system, he works a team up, makes them good again, and then they move on somewhere else.

She thinks she is finally going to have a chance to be in a school and a place without her father... until he comes to her college as the head football coach.

Carson needs a scholarship and he is willing to do just about anything to make sure he gets one.

These two meet and... SPARKS. Major sparks.

I loved Dallas and Carson together and every scene made me giddy. This was the first New Adult book that I've had the pleasure to read, but I found it to hold the appeal of YA with more edgier subject matter (language, more graphic sexy time scenes, etc). They took things slow but even their friendship held major tension and I often found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for their relationship to take off.

They both have things going on that are more important than a romantic relationship and I am so glad that was a point. So often in romances I see: girl meets boy + boy sweeps girl off her fee = nothing else matters.

While this may make for a good love story - it isn't reality, but ALL LINED UP does bring attention to "the real world" and real world responsibilities that have to be acknowledged.

Carson needs every spare moment he has to ensure his future. That's a huge deal, and it isn't ignored and I loved that.

Dallas spends a lot of time overcoming her past and realizing who she is during this book.

One of the most important aspect of this book was the amount of respect that is given to various characters. Dallas and Carson are not stupid teenagers, or silly college kids. They are people with real issues who give great thought and real respect to various people in their life over what they want.

It felt extremely real.

Overall: If you want to read a realistic (and smexy) love story about two people who are intelligent and very well rounded - this is for you. It comes highly recommended.