- Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books (1 Oct 2010) Genre: Young Adult Source: Bought
"I'm in deep shit Alex, 'cause I think I'd like nothin' better than to wake up with her every mornin'."
"I wish I could help you" I whisper."You are" he murmurs against my knee. "just don't leave me, okay? Everyone leaves me."
"You're dangerous." he says."Why?" "Because you make me believe in the impossible."
"You think I’ve got a big ego and an attitude problem?" - "I don’t think you do, Carlos. I know it. Unfortunately, it’s a Fuentes flaw." "I’d call it an asset. It’s what makes us Fuentes brothers irresistible."
My Thoughts - You thought Alex was a bad boy? Well my fellow bad boy lovers, I give you Carlos Fuentes; they don't get more bad than him, in fact, he has been acting up so much lately that his mother has sent him to live with his big brother Alex. Of course Carlos is furious. His girlfriend Destiny and family are back home and he has no intention of leaving them, until he is forced to anyway.
Worse still, upon meeting his brother Alex he is disgusted -- gone is his bad boy brother Alex with a cocky attitude and walk to match his own, but in place is a whole other person, someone mature, relaxed and too damn whipped by Brittany in his opinion.
The thing is that Carlos loves to act up on the stereotype that has stuck with him -- he is gorgeous and he knows it, he could bag any girl that he wants and he knows it. However, what instantly amuses him is his new apparent school tour guide Kiara who is completely unattractive in his opinion. She wears long baggy T shirts with ridiculous slogans -- not to mention she stutters.
That is until secretly he starts to look forward to seeing her and teasing the hell out of her -- loving when she stills when he stands too close, and even more when she says his name. Soon enough she is all he can think about, but he has no intention of getting emotionally involved with a girl, the pain is something that he just cannot handle for a second time.
Carlos likes to play up, but really we get quite the few hints in which the real him shines though -- the Carlos that he never plans on anyone ever seeing. That is until Kiara enters his life and turns everything inside out. She's not the kind of girl he would go for -- he likes them wild, beautiful, and reckless like him -- she is anything but. Kiara is sensible, mature and thoughtful, but when Carlos is around she looses all her senses; he makes her feel completely out of character yet both have the capability and power of changing each other. Neither is sure if that is something they are prepared for; that makes a killer combination!
When things take a darker turn thanks to Alex who knows Kiara father -- he takes Carlos in. And before he knows it Carlos is living under the same roof as Kiara, soon enough there is no point pretending, they are crazy about each other and it's only a matter of time until one becomes more reckless than the other.
So, it actually took me to re-read Rules of Attraction to really appreciate it. I loved that Kiara was a down to earth character and someone that all girls can relate to. She completely shoves away stereotypes that say you have to be a hot gal in order to bag a hot boy. I commend Simone on doing something different when it comes to her characters. She could have chosen a complete air head who was stunning and Miss perfect, but she didn't, and in the process made us alongside Carlos see the beauty of a girl who wasn't described as "pretty".
I think I will always hold a personal fondness for Perfect Chemistry and Alex, but Carlos with his story isn't all that far off. Rules of Attraction doesn't exactly have this big plot now that I think about it. It's more of a pleasurable read really, it has everything that a girl would like. Bad Boy -Check - Naive girl -check - Smexy times - check -. I can't complain though because it's an enjoyable read. The thing is that Simone knows what her girls want and she gives it us. She writes romance and chemistry amazingly well, and manages to make her bad boys underneath the tough exterior sensitive and sweet, and not just actual douches, which is a plus!
Can I just say that I LOVED the ending -- was just *sighs* so fab. The moment where you have these two guys come face to face who are so similar. And the line that this boy gives him -- full of freaking attitude which can only be described as HAWT! Just made me swoon all over again and had me reminiscing a little. Whose ready for the third book? I SURE AM!
So, all in all? Doesn't give me that "wow" factor that I got from Perfect Chemistry but still well worth it and a memorable read.
"Look at me, chica." When she does, I repeat, "Eres hermosa." "What does it mean?" "You're beautiful."
"I find myself daydreaming about him when I wake up in the morning, in school when something reminds me of him, and when I fall asleep at night"
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