All Broke Down: A Rusk University Novel (Rusk University, 2) Paperback – October 28, 2014

Cora Carmack has never written the quintessential bad boy before. There was studious Garrick, sensitive Cade, mysterious Jackson, and most recently, dedicated Carson. I would never have used the term "bad boy" to describe any of them. And then, along came Silas Moore.Silas is angry. Like, all the time. His relationship with his mom is terrible (and so is she), his BFF is in jail for dealing, and Coach Cole has had it with all the fights that Silas keeps getting in, so he benches him. It's during his darkest moments that a ray of light by the name of Dylan enters his life. Initially, she's just a means to an end, but somewhere along the way, Silas gains something he thought was lost forever - hope.Okay - Cora, you can do a bad boy anytime you want to. Silas is full of all the best bad boy things. He is conflicted and troubled and angry and cocky. But, the best part of the best bad boys is his redeemability. If there wasn't some good stuff in there, he would just be... well, bad. And, Silas is full of lots of good stuff.From the beginning, he's inexplicably helping Dylan. Sure, he tells himself it's because she's hot and he really wants to tap that, but the reader can tell that there's more to it than that (although, there IS that too). Silas may have been beaten down by his trashy mother, and his best friend may be trying to suck him into a world he has no business being in, but, Silas is fighting all that negativity with everything in him, and Dylan is the key to success. He recognizes the hope she represents, and he wants a piece of it. So, although it chaps his hide a bit, he asks Dylan for her help to get him back on the straight and narrow, and subsequently, back on the football team.Dylan's granting of Silas' request is a little self-serving. She is looking for exactly the opposite. Where Silas is the typical bad boy, Dylan is your typical good girl. She comes from a well-off family, she gets good grades and is a community activist. And, she's as unhappy and unfulfilled as Silas is. She has this yearning for the grit of life to seep into her pores a little bit, and along with it, maybe she will figure out what really makes her happy. When she meets Silas in jail, she knows that he's just the guy to help her with that.I really loved Dylan. She was, at times a bit too eager when it came to Silas, but hell. Who wouldn't be when faced with all that hotness and his talented hands? But, she also had a spine - that's very important. Those girls who fall all over themselves to please the object of their desire make me want to throw my book. Dylan was woman enough to admit that she wanted some things from Silas, but strong enough to walk away when she had to.I remember in college, I was in charge of orientation activities for the incoming freshmen. I was taught that one of the best ways to bring a group of strangers together was through pain and misery - namely, physical labor. Never was there a finer example of this than with Dylan and Silas. They bonded in jail and fell in love while toiling away for Habitat for Humanity. It was cool watching Dylan and the satisfaction of a job well done smooth over Silas' rough edges. And, it was also nice to know that once Silas got in touch with his inner good guy that there wasn't enough bad left in him to be interesting. His and Dylan's relationship was hot and sexy and dirty and absolutely perfect.So, Cora, you can do a sexy bad boy any day of the week and twice on Sundays. In fact - please do.

Dylan faces life with a plan, which generally includes thinking everything through rationally and fixing everything that’s the least bit broken. Always living up to people’s expectations of her is her status quo, and landing herself in jail certainly doesn’t fit the plan. And neither does the bad boy she meets during her short stint behind bars.Silas doesn’t have anything in common with the trust fun kids surrounding him at the elite, private Rusk University. He’s no academic genius or future great leader. But he knows football, and with his scholarship, it’s his ticket to a better life than he started out with. But he’s a little too quick with his fists, a little too loose with his temper, and it’s that behavior that threatens to send him back to the life he had before he decided to use his skills on the field to better his chances. But when that behavior lands him in jail one night, he meets the one girl who just might be worth changing for.All Broke Down is a little darker than the first book in the series, but still light-hearted enough that it wasn’t all about the angst. Like any story based in college — especially one prominently featuring the campus bad boy jock — there’s plenty to be had in the way of parties, drinking, and other debauchery. But it also maintains a realistic feel, not necessarily glamorizing the party-atmosphere libertinage, but rather acknowledging it and then focusing on the very normal lives going on around it. That Silas, with his less than privileged background, would land himself in the middle of party and booze central is no surprise, nor should it be that he’s interested in more than just a good time.The way Dylan and Silas meet could not be more perfect, and it allows him the chance to come to her rescue, so to speak, despite the fact that they probably never would have spoken had they met under different circumstances. Passionate about the causes in which she believes, Dylan is immediately intrigued by Silas and quickly sees something in him that’s worth a closer look. They’re attracted to each other, of course, but there also seems to be a mutual interest that goes deeper than the physical, a bit of respect for each other’s struggles that allows them to find common ground.While these two, on the surface, couldn’t be more different, inside they are both a little lost. Dylan is trying to figure out who she is, as opposed to who everyone wants her to be. And Silas is trying to prove he’s worth more than his crappy upbringing. Their initial atraction and curiosity about each other soon leads to a deeper understanding and a more profound connection as they both try to figure out where exactly they belong. Silas finds that he’s comfortable around Dylan, able to confide in her instead of put on a front, and he’s quick to see through Dylan’s veneer and voice the struggle she’s feeling.Through it all, romance blooms, and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one incredibly hot couple to read about. Something about their differences makes their scenes together just that much hotter, but the underlying emotions also come through clearly. All Broke Down is easily one of the most perfect NA romances I’ve read, complete with realistically awkward issues for the characters, strong emotions, and lots of adorably endearing moments of openness. More than just your typical falling-in-love-in-college story, All Broke Down focuses on honesty, family, and hope for the future.

This second book in the series has quite a different feel to it compared to the first one. Silas is a very different character to Carson and that reflects in the tone of this book. This one is edgier, darker, moodier somehow. I really liked Silas' character and Dylan grew on me. The reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 is because there was just a bit too much inner monologue at times, especially from Dylan, but that is my preference for more conversation. The book is well written with a good ending but still leaves you looking forward to hearing more about these guys. Torres gets his story next.

This book was cute, I guess. I definitely did not like Silas in All Lined Up, but seeing that there was more to him than just being an arrogant Jock was nice. His character development was great and I really felt like he didn't just grow as a person, but he matured as well. However, I'm still not sure I liked Dylan. I kept getting the feeling that she was almost.....fake, like she was pretending to be someone she's not. But I did enjoy the story, overall.

Another fantastic read. The series seems to get better. For me, I enjoyed reading this book better than the previous. Even though the first was good, this was better. I've gotten to know the characters well and I enjoyed the jokes between them plus the romance with Silas and Dylan was more intense. Hope their is more in the series and I'm also desperate to find out what happens next to Stella. A must read.

All Broke Down is a mixture of college football and romance. It's got everything in there to make your heart swoon. This is the second installment to the Rusk University series (would recommend reading "All Lined Up" before). I love all of the books out available in this series so far! Would definitely recommend reading!

I really liked this and Can't wait to read the next one in the series.If you like hot romance stories and epic romances then this is one for youHappy reading :)