Review: Best Kind of Broken

Best Kind of Broken
Author: Chelsea Fine
Published: March 4th, 2014
Paperback, 272 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working - and living - at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But not that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy, it's going to be a long summer.

I love finding new New Adult series that I love. It's tough sometimes, not knowing if you'll like the book or find it too cheesy. but I'm glad this one was great and will be added to my favourites collection. Chelsea has taken what I love to see in New Adult: comedy, sexual tension, sad back stories and lots of good times, and has given me new characters to fall in love with and root for. Right off the bath you know Pixie and Levi have history but something clearly went wrong because now they avoid each other like the plague. But suddenly living together for the summer in Pixie's aunt's inn, they have no choice but to see each other every day, mostly near the bathroom. Can they get past what happened and remember how they felt each other?

The sexual tension was palpable and holy cow was it good! From the first page, I knew I just wanted them to make out and the story leading up to that moment was great and it was well worth the wait. The kissing scenes were hot (understatement) but I loved the story that unfolded around these two even more. They have both been through so much and the deeper we delved into their view points, the more we found out how they got to where they are. It was heartbreaking and I could understand why it would be hard for them to get past it and focus on the future. Every time they mentioned it or remembered it, I teared up a bit. The contrast between the loss and the love was so well written that I just had to keep reading. This was a story about forgiveness, moving on, and figuring out what's really important in life.

The secondary characters were fantastic. Pixie's aunt was like a mother to her and the moments they had together were great and made me think of my own mom. Darren was a great addition, having him in there to set us up for the next book in the series which focuses on him and a girl we briefly meet in this one. I find that the parents are never around in New Adult and the characters rely on their friends a lot, which is so true in real life. Jenna was a great friend to Pixie and I can't wait to read her book as well.

This was the perfect book to read if you're looking for something fast, fun with a bit of emotional trauma. Perfect for fans of Cora Carmack and Ann Aguire!

"And I'm yours. Even when you don't want me, I'm still yours."

Review: All Lined Up

All Lined Up
Author: Cora Carmack
Published: May 13th, 2014
Paperback, 320 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to read a Cora Carmack book, but man am I glad I've read them now! All Lined Up is the first in her new Rusk University series, but you'd probably know her name from her first New Adult series Losing It. I've been having really good luck with NA lately and Carmack has quickly become one of my favourite authors in this genre. Dallas' life revolves around football whether she likes it or not. Her dad has just taken a job as the head coach at Rusk and her quarterback ex-boyfriend constantly shows up whenever she's around. Dallas just wants to have a real college experience, but football haunts her every move. When she meets Carson in a funny, dramatic, awkward way, she thinks she's found a guy that has nothing to do with football. By the time she finds out he's second-string quarterback, ready to take her ex's spot in the line up, and he finds out she's the coach's daughter, it's too late for them to stop the feelings riled up inside of them.

This is one of my favourite plots. As a reader, we know that Dallas is the coach's daughter and that Carson is a football player, but each character is in the dark and I loved waiting for the moment when all would break loose. Carmack wrote this wonderfully, in dual perspectives, keeping the dramatic irony going for just long enough for us to fall in love with both characters together. Dallas was very different from the girl NA characters I've seen out there. She's smart, ready to step away from her father's shadow, and put her bad relationship behind her. She's strong willed and not afraid to speak her mind, and her relationship with her father is very touch and go, as she tries to figure out who she is but still make sure her father knows she loves him. Carson has to work much harder than Dallas to get to where he wants to be. He works out and trains constantly, while also studying in his free time. When they start hanging out, Carson loses his focus and it's a harsh reality when you put someone you love before your needs. The conflict between the two of them, trying to keep the relationship under wraps, deciding if the relationship is worth it, and figuring out how to get through college, is written beautifully and captured me the entire time.

The fun part of reading NA, as I'm sure we all know, are the sexy scenes. These are the selling points to this genre and for good reason. You get all the angst and drama that you get in YA, but you also get the experience that us adults enjoy without the boundaries that YA puts on it. Carmack writes these scenes really well. They are too graphic like some and it's more about the tension between the two characters than anything else. I love a good steamy scene and boy does this book deliver! I lvoed that this involved sports, I feel like that broke it out of the very small NA shell and I loved getting to know the characters at Rusk University and I'm excited to get more of them. Every side character could have their own story and I hope Carmack has a plan for them. Stella was a long of fun and I know Silas is getting his own book next, All Broke Down, which actually comes out tomorrow! If you're looking for a fun, quick, saucy read, pick this one up! I'm sure you'll fall in love with Dallas and Carson as much as I did.

"I swallow and stare and swallow again, because dear, sweet Jesus riding a unicorn, he's perfect."

"It takes talent to be a gawking hot mess, and I am a gawking hot mess to the third power."