Review- Faking It by Cora Carmack

 BOOK SUMMARY:

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

Release date: June 4th 2013

Published by: William Marrow & Company

Page numbers: 325

REVIEW: 

I had read and really enjoyed Losing It by Cora Carmack. I thought it was a cute and fun read. So I was super excited to get to Cade's book as he was one of the characters from Losing It whom I'd really liked and wanted to get to know better. Plus good boy bad girl story sounded so different and awesome. Faking It started out really well but then somewhere along the way it lost its magic.

Cade has been in Philadelphia to get his degree and act. He's still reeling over the loss of his best friend Bliss, who he thought he was in love with. I love how the book started out. You could really feel his pain over Bliss and I really felt bad for him. Then he meets Max. She's tattooed and funky and totally brightens up his world. You could see Cade fall for Max since the moment he met her but after the initial playful banter they had, they just seemed to lose that spark.

Max has a problem. Her parents are in town for a surprise visit and she thinks that if they see he in her dyed hair, tattoos and piercings they'll disown her. So on a whim, she asks Cade to pretend to be her boyfriend. I liked Max in the beginning. She had spunk. She and Cade made  the most bizarre of situations  seem like fun. But after about half the book it became too much about her issues.

There was chemistry between Cade and Max. They were perfect for each other even if none of them saw it. But then things just fell through and I kinda sorta lost interest in them. Cade held back from Max at exactly the wrong moments. Max had a painful accident in the past which she still had to work through but I didn't get the connection of how that affected what was between her and Cade. Also, there is cheating. Not enormous or anything, but yeah.

Faking It starts out really well and what I liked in the beginning was that they were faking it to Max's parents but being completely real with each other. But by the end of the book they're faking it to themselves and to each other and the story kind of lost its point. I didn't feel that much for Max and Cade how I did for Garrick and Bliss. Faking It was an okay read for me but I shall still be reading Kelsey's book  when it comes out cause it sounds really interesting.

Review- All Broke Down by Cora Carmack

Summary-

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians you name it, she's probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He's in for a different kind of fighting. And though he's arrogant and infuriating, she can't help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it's trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He's met girls like her before fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn't think he's broken, and he definitely doesn't need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about: his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Review-

I had read and loved Cora Carmack's All Lined Up, the first book in the Rusk University series, so I was pretty excited for All Broke Down. All Broke Down is the story of Dylan and Silas. We'd met Silas in the previous book and he was quite the jerk there but we do get to see that there is so much more to him and Dylan. All Broke Down was a pretty good read.

Dylan is your typical do gooder or so it seems when we first meet her. She loves fighting for lost causes and one of those times makes her land up in jail where she meets Silas. I really liked Dylan. She was a sweet girl who was genuinely trying to prove that she deserved to be where she was. I loved how she wanted to help Silas and her intentions were always good.

Then we have Silas. Like I said previously, Silas was a jerk when we'd met him in the previous book and he is still is to an extent but he had his reasons. Silas has a very unstable childhood which makes him doubt his position on the team. He screws up but he does make it right too. I really liked Silas after understanding him. 

Dylan and Silas have chemistry since the first moment they meet. Like all Cora Carmack books, the connection the hero heroine share is lovely and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. They may look like complete opposites on the surface but Dylan and Silas understood each other really well. Their love story was sweet and genuine.

While I cannot say that Dylan and Silas are my favorite couple and that All Broke Down is one of Cora Carmack's best works, I did enjoy All Broke Down. We get to meet many other characters as well, some of whose stories have already kinda started and I'm curious to see how they go forward. All Broke Down shouldn't be missed by new adult fans.

Review- All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Summary-

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.

Review-

I had liked Cora Carmack's Finding It series. All Lined Up looked like a really cute read when I picked it up and I am surprised by how much I ended up loving it. It was much more than just a cute read. All Lined Up is a true new adult book, it was about discovering yourself and figuring things out. It actually passed all my expectations with flying colors.

Dallas hates football. She did love the game at one point of time in her life but then she always felt as though she had to share her father with football. I loved Dallas. She was a really sweet heroine. Having had guys talk to her to come in her father's good books, she was rightly hesitant. I also liked that while she looked like she had everything under control she still had issues and insecurities.

Then we have Carson. God, Carson was one of the most sweetest, genuinely nice heroes I've read till date. Move over bad boys, this nice guy made me swoon. Carson has just moved to Rusk University. He knows the only thing he is good at is football and he cannot afford any distractions. When he meets Dallas there is instant attraction but they both get the shock of their lives when he finds out that she is his Coach's daughter and when she finds out that he is a football player.

I loved how Carson and Dallas meet. There was instant attraction but not insta love. They had chemistry but both were not willing to jump in without thinking. I also loved the fact that they both understood each other the way people in their lives didn't. They made for a really cute couple with all their flaws and faults.

We also get to meet a nice set of characters from Rusk University. I really hope everyone gets a book because I am hooked. Cora Carmack writes new adult perfectly without going over board with the romance. She portrays the mind of a college student authentically. I really loved reading All Lined Up.

Review- Finding It by Cora Carmack

Summary-

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

Review-

Finding It is the third and final book in Cora Carmack's new adult series. I had liked Losing It but Faking It had disappointed me so I went in without any expectations into Finding It. I am so glad that I read this book because Finding It turned out to be a really good read. THIS is new adult people. It was about discovering yourself and facing the changes life has in store for you.

Kelsey is on a world wide trip. She is trying to find happiness one last time before she has to return to parents who don't give a damn about her. Kelsey was really hard to like in the beginning. I could not relate to her behavior or her getting drunk every five minutes. But I did understand her by the end of the book. She had a vulnerability to her and she just wanted to belong.

Then there's Jackson Hunt. He always seems to end up when she needs someone to rescue her. There's also the thing of him being too hot for his own good. Jackson somehow always seems to see through Kelsey's pretense. I really liked Jackson. He was sensible and hot. He was what made the whole romance swoon worthy.

The romance between Kelsey and Jackson was amazing. There is chemistry between them and I loved their banter. Both of them could be themselves with each other. The whole book goes from Kelsey's pov so I did wish we'd got Hunt's pov too. But that would have spilled the secret. I can guarantee that anyone who's read enough of romances can figure out the big secret really fast. I did within a few pages.

But that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book. Finding It was a fun read which takes Kelsey and Jackson to exotic locations. I liked that it was a true new adult book unlike the past few new adult books which just seem to be more like erotica. Finding It was a good read.

Review- Losing It by Cora Carmack

Goodreads Summary:

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

REVIEW:

Oh my God. I had absolutely no idea that I'd like this book as much as I did. Since a few weeks, I'd been seeing these great reviews of Losing It and I thought it was time I read it too and I am so glad I did. This has been one of the most entertaining books that I've read so far in this year which took me back to and reminded me of Meg Cabot's Queen Of Babble and Heather Wells (Size Doesn't Matter) series. Losing It was an absolutely fabulous read. 
The story is about Bliss Edwards, a 20 year old acting and stage management student who is keen on losing her virginity. Bliss has no idea what's in store for her when she runs away from having sex with a guy she met at the bar. Turns out that this guy, the very hot and stunning Garrick Taylor, is Bliss' new professor! 
Losing It is such a fun read. I found myself smiling throughout. I loved the fact that the book wasn't all just about sex, sex and sex. It was fun to read about Bliss' college friends, be it her best girl friend Kelsey or her best guy friend Cade. So this is where there arises a tiny complication. Apparently Bliss' best guy friend has always looked at her as more than just a friend. There is no need for love triangle haters to worry though, because Bliss is absolutely sure about her choice. 
Initially, I found Bliss to be a little irritating, but as I got to see more into her mind, it became impossible to dislike her. There were times when I thought she could have done something to make a situation better. Nonetheless, she was a very kind person. I loved loved loved Garrick. He was simply superb. Be it his looks, personality, teaching skills, acting skills, love-making skills or even better, to top it all of, British accent! He was perfect. I also really loved Cade since I'm a huge fan of the whole 'best friends turning into lovers' notion. He was a sweet, smart and a really nice guy. Losing It revolves around a play that Bliss' class has to perform based on Greek mythology and Bliss and Garrick themselves bond over Shakespeare. Isn't it just super cute when there is a literary aspect to contemporary reads? The whole concept was simply great.  
Losing It is an entertaining and lovely read. The love-making scenes were hot,the party scenes cool and the general college scenes were fun. Author Cora Carmack has written a fabulous contemporary romance that will make you want to turn the pages speedily. It is a fun, light-hearted read that is bound to leave you smiling and wanting more at the end. 

REVIEW:

X 4

 Sarika