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Carlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path—just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord. When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.
As the danger grows for Carlos, he's shocked to discover that it's this seemingly All-American family who can save him. But is he willing to endanger their safety for a chance at the kind of life he's never even dreamed possible?
First Impressions: Having read Perfect Chemistry (actually, it was one of the first books I bought because of a blog’s review and I gave it as a present to Lauren) I knew what to expect from Rules of Attraction. It seemed like perfect car trip material, which is where I read a good portion of it.
While Rules of Attraction is pure cheesiness, it’s a cheese that’s done extremely well. It’s addicting and absorbing. A guilty read that’s utterly fantastic for what it is.
Kiera and Carlos’ relationship is interesting to see unfold and, while it’s ending is certainly not unexpected, it retains that perfect quality throughout. It’s never dull. It’s rocky at best at first, and goes through its ups and downs, at one point sweet, another hot, another in confusion. Their relationship is the base of the novel and makes Rules of Attraction what it is.
Kiera and Carlos tell the story in alternating perspectives, as like Perfect Chemistry. This lets us have two perspectives, which I love, and to get to know both personalities really well. Carlos is similar enough to Alex that readers get what they expected from the sequel to Perfect Chemistry, and Kiera is strong enough and well rounded to make an interesting female character.
Final Impressions: Much like Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction is a quick read that feels a little guilty, but extremely pleasurable. Time well spent.
