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.
******
All Line Up is a new series by Cora Carmack based in Texas, football country. Dallas (as named for the team) has been trying to get out and away from football since a high school disaster with an ex-boyfriend. Her dad is a coach that is known to take teams and turn them into winners. He's also super protective of his little girl and doesn't want her to move out-of-state or even out of sight. After enrolling at Rusk University, her dad then becomes the coach of the failing football team. I could almost see the steam coming from Dallas's head when describing this.
Throughout the book you can see the struggle of Dallas and her father to connect and trust each other to understand. I say both because you can see her father struggle even though you want to shake him for not giving his daughter more freedom and trust since she is 18 and a college student.
We meet Carson at a party Dallas goes to. At this point he main POV was from Dallas but once we meet Carson, we also get his POV. Carson is a transfer student and a walk-on to the football team. He has a plan that has been mapped out by his own father on how to get a scholarship to the school. Knowing he only has three semesters worth saved up to go to the university, he plans to work hard without distractions: girls, drinking, etc.
When Carson meets Dallas, all he can think is, "she's a distraction." But she also becomes someone he can't ignore. With Dallas gun shy from her last relationship and not wanting to tussle with football players, this leads to some very interesting reading. What I liked most about the two characters was they were true to their selves and setup a rule to be honest with each other before walking away. That honestly lead to a story that felt more real. I really liked reading about these two characters and watching them develop as individuals and as a couple.
We meet Carson at a party Dallas goes to. At this point he main POV was from Dallas but once we meet Carson, we also get his POV. Carson is a transfer student and a walk-on to the football team. He has a plan that has been mapped out by his own father on how to get a scholarship to the school. Knowing he only has three semesters worth saved up to go to the university, he plans to work hard without distractions: girls, drinking, etc.
When Carson meets Dallas, all he can think is, "she's a distraction." But she also becomes someone he can't ignore. With Dallas gun shy from her last relationship and not wanting to tussle with football players, this leads to some very interesting reading. What I liked most about the two characters was they were true to their selves and setup a rule to be honest with each other before walking away. That honestly lead to a story that felt more real. I really liked reading about these two characters and watching them develop as individuals and as a couple.
This true New Adult novel was a wonderful read. I call this a true NA read since the characters are based in college and are both going to transition's. NA also has a reputation for ultra sexy books. This book would not fall into that category. Even though sex is talked about (like in Carmack's other books) but is taken seriously. Understanding where each character line has been drawn and respecting that. It's not until the end of the book that we see resolution to this part of the relationship. However, don't skip ahead to read the sexy bits. You'll ruin the rest of the story and it's a fun one to read!
I was lucky enough to get read my copy from the public library. Make sure to check your own library to see if they have a copy you can reserve.
