Dark Obsession: Stamp of Approval ~ All Lined Up Blog Tour + Giveaway!

ALL LINED UP Synopsis:

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.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

My Review:

By now, if you've been following my reviews, you should know that I am a BIG fan of Cora Carmack. (If you didn't - now you do.) I love the real, awkward characters she brings to life. I love that I feel like these characters could walk right off the pages and be a (former) dorm neighbor, someone you bumped into at a party or a football game, or even church. I always feel connected and sympathetic, if not empathetic to Cora's heroes and heroines... sometimes, it's like Cora reached right into my head and pulled stuff out.

OK, so I'm going to try to put my 'fan-girling' aside for a moment to give some solid reasons why I adore All Lined Up:

♦ College - It was one of the best times of my life, and I adore reading about college. It reminds me of all the fun and shenanigans I used to get into!
♦ Awkward - I adore that Dallas is not perfect, not a virgin, not socially adept, bookish; she and I (and Stella, too, for that matter) totally would have been friends.
♦ No 'Insta-Love' - Insta-attraction, yes. But how often in life are you really going to find people that really do that insta-love thing, slim to none is how often. Attraction, extreme attraction, if totally swallow-able and believable.
♦ Banter - I love me some snarky banter. Love it like dogs love peanut butter. Romeo IS a tool!

I just can't shout it from the rooftops loud enough - I LOVE ALL LINED UP!

Have I mentioned yet- even the 'support' cast is awesome beyond belief. Now, this man or may not be 'controversial' ... but I can see Silas finding the pathway to ~~pants~~, er, heart, in the future. Sure, there is some early asshattery - but I can already feel the future scorch he'll likely leave on me. And Stella. STELLA! Stella puts the awesome in awesomesauce. She is irreverent, and snarky, and a 'good' bad girl. I'm totally jiggy with her 'Stamps of Approval' and absolutely hope we see her again (maybe with a book of her own someday?)

Now on to Carson and Dallas. *Sigh* First off, I have this 'thing' for red hair (my mother was a red-head) - there are not enough stories out there with gingers - so Dallas, you rock those fiery locks! Okay, time to move on to Mr. Responsible Carson. It's like he's that 'bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks' but he's not really that bad boy, he was just pigeon-holed that way because of circumstance. And while you cannot fault his ethics, or his heart despite his own fight against it... he's such a good guy. I'm not talking that 'kiss-of-death' designation that thereby destroys relationships; he really is jut so heart-felt, so driven, but also believes he has to earn his rewards. I'm rooting for Dallas and Carson. I WANT them to be each other's reward. They deserve it, and even fight against it. I think ultimately, above all else, it's their battle against giving in to their own attraction and distraction that wins me over. Well, that, and the snark; "sweet baby Jesus riding a unicorn", the snark is a heady, heady thing.

*I was gifted a copy of All Lined Up from Cora Carmack in exchange for my unbiased opinion. While I am a self-promclaimed Cora Carmack fangirl, I will not say I loved a book unless I loved the darned book. I've purchased my own copy, and I won't spend my hard-earned money on books I don't love, or think I'll love.*

OK... I also have to share a quick *SQUEE* moment...

Guess what is at the back of the book? No really, guess.

Did you see the underline? I almost peed! That is me! *Starts chanting* Cora knows my full name! Cora knows my full name! *Awkward Flail* Cora Carmack has reached (long ago, really) auto-buy status with me - as soon as I get wind of a new release it's added to my 'TBR' mountain. Well, more like the short list than the mountain. She is my rock star, and I her tenacious ~~stalker~~, er, fangirl.

Cora Carmack Bio:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.