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Rules of Attraction [Hardcover]

Simone Elkeles
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 13, 2010

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?


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Rules of Attraction + Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry) + Perfect Chemistry
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up—In this sequel to Perfect Chemistry (Walker, 2009), Elkeles once again delivers a steamy page-turner bound to make teens swoon. After getting involved with a dangerous gang in Mexico, Carlos Fuentes is sent to live in Colorado with his older brother, Alex. Unwilling to straighten up and abide by Alex's rules, he soon gets into trouble when he is framed for narcotics possession by a drug lord with powerful gang ties. Carlos avoids expulsion from high school by living with Alex's former instructor, Professor Westford, and his family, and attending an after-school program for at-risk teens. Romance ensues when tough-talking, authority-flouting Carlos finds himself inexplicably drawn to Kiara, the professor's studious, outdoorsy, and vintage-car-loving daughter. Unfortunately, love is complicated, because while Carlos wants to be with Kiara, he is also struggling to extricate himself from the grasp of the drug lord who framed him. After he is seriously beaten up, he, Alex, and Professor Westford concoct a plan to bring the drug lord to justice. As in Perfect Chemistry, the brothers' dialogue is infused with plenty of Spanish, but it's clear in context. The ending is somewhat contrived and rushed, and minor characters are not as well developed. However, the passion between Carlos and Kiara, who tell their story in alternating narratives, is compelling enough to engage teens, especially those who were taken with Alex and Brittany's romance in the previous book.—Lalitha Nataraj, Chula Vista Public Library, CA
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author

Simone Elkeles has written five young adult novels, including Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise, and was recently named Illinois Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She received her Master's of Science degree in Industrial Relations and also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors.
www.simoneelkeles.net
www.perfectchemistrythebook.com

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Walker Childrens (April 13, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0802720854
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802720856
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simone Elkeles was born and raised in the Chicago area. She loves writing books for teens and enjoys hearing from her readers. In her spare time (which she has less and less of these days), she loves hanging with her friends and going out to movies. Go to her website to learn more about her at www.simoneelkeles.com!

Customer Reviews

Overall, I really liked this book and give it four laser pistols. Amy F. Gilman  |  19 reviewers made a similar statement
Although it's also a good adult romance book. ReaderA+  |  24 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars So good I'm going to read it again! March 6, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I got this book on Friday at 3:30pm and finished it at 6:30ish Saturday and no, I'm not a speed reader.

I read Perfect Chemistry by Ms. Elkeles and liked it so much I read it two more times and when I saw this book, I bought it without reading the plot synopsis. But, in the back of my mind I wondered, "can she do it again? Will I love this book? Will it have the same love story with believably flawed and endearing characters?" The answer is 'YES!'

I think I like this book even more than Perfect Chemistry.

Carlos is a dangerously attractive hero and Kiara (kind of a lame name that I'm not sure how to pronounce, after the third chapter I decided to think of her as Kara) is an amazingly quirky heroine. Naturally, I could empathize with a heroine who is trying to make a place for herself at High School (I'm a dork).

Kara wants her senior year to be different, fun and wonderful. However, she has a hurdle to overcome, Kiara/Kara stutters. I don't feel bad letting anyone know about this plot point, it's revealed early on in the book and it's a major part of the story. You feel Kara's yearning to be more than that girl with the speech impediment at school. She's worked hard to overcome the stutter and she's ready to speak up in class and participate.

Carlos is angry. Angry that he's in Colorado. Angry that his brother Alex has change into someone he doesn't understand. Angry that his mother moved him to Mexico and then shipped him back to the states, all without asking his opinion. His is the seething rage of a teen on the verge of manhood who wont be dictated to anymore. His observations about the people around him are hysterical, I giggled so hard I almost fell off the treadmill at the gym causing a couple of my fellow gym patrons to look at me with alarm. Note to self, don't read on the treadmill anymore, it is verra dangerous.

Now onto the romance between Carlos and Kara, I can't say too much about it without revealing major stuff. Kara distinguishes herself to Carlos by being different. She looks and acts different than the girls Carlos usually goes for, she's smarter, forthright and doesn't let him get away with anything. He finds this irritating and does his best to make her dislike him. Yet her stubbornness is strangely endearing. Carlos isn't at all like the kind of guy Kara would ever go for and he's set on a course of self destruction to boot, yet there is something about him that she likes, not at first. At first Carlos is a real ass! But after time, they come to appreciate each other.

Okay, I am still a little swoon-y about the book, it really was that good and totally made up for the fact that I wasted several hours on a semi-crappy time travel book.

Buy this book if you like romance, believable characters and a hero and heroine that has an exciting and bumpy road to love.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect mix of humor, danger, and a steamy romance March 21, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Carlos Fuentes doesn't have any say in the matter when his mother sends him from Mexico to his older brother Alex in Boulder, Colorado. Carlos has already been displaced from his hometown of Chicago once before, and he wasn't happy about it, so he intends to break as many rules as possible in Colorado.

Kiara Westford is the good girl; she doesn't get in trouble, and she's always willing to help out, but Carlos's attitude annoys her. When those with connections to a Mexican gang plant drugs in Carlos's possession, Kiara's father vouches for him, and he is forced to move in with her family and abide by their rules. But rebellious Carlos will find that the only thing harder than following the Westfords' rules is fighting his feelings for Kiara.

Fans of Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry will be happy to read this sequel, featuring Alex's younger brother, now seventeen and now every bit as rebellious and then some. Carlos has a devil-may-care attitude, and he is rough and determined to go his own way. Though the reader may not always agree with his decisions and thoughts, Elkeles does an excellent job at getting into his head and revealing what makes him tick. Kiara, on the other hand, is much sweeter and a little naive, but she is smart and she has guts. She's not quite as interesting of a character as Carlos, but is admirable nonetheless.

The danger in Rules of Attraction isn't quite as palpable and immediate as it was in Perfect Chemistry, but the bit of mystery surrounding it keeps you in suspense, though the action at the climax is tense and a bit unexpected. At its heart, this book is more about Carlos' gradual change of mind concerning his attitude and behavior as he falls in love with Kiara. He changes quite a bit as a character, which is gratifying to see, and the actual romance is steamy and naughty in just the right amount--an excellent mix of humor and rebellion. Like in Perfect Chemistry, Elkeles includes an epilogue set far in the future that is a little cheesy, but cute, that will leave readers with a happy feeling and hopes for a novel about the third Fuentes brother, Luis.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Rules of Attraction is A+ teen romance! March 16, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Carlos Fuentes has just arrived in Boulder, Colorado, to live with his older brother Alex, one of the main protagonists from Elkeles' great story, Perfect Chemistry. Carlos has not been living the clean life in Mexico, to put it mildly. He has become part of a gang, the very thing his brother wanted him to avoid. Drugs, girls, and partying are his life and Carlos has no plans to live by his brother's rules. But when he is framed for drugs at his new school, things start going south from there.

Kiara is excited for her senior year. She finally has control over her stuttering. Sure, her new boyfriend just broke up with her but she is still going to make it a great year. Until she meets Carlos, who is not only a student at school with her, but he is now living with her. Let the games, and the chemistry, begin.

Carlos and Kiara definitely have chemistry and appeal together. Kiara is kind of a tomboy. She loves working on her car, she enjoys being with her family, she loves the outdoors, but she also wants to go to Homecoming and Prom. Those are important to her. Carlos in many ways cannot believe he is attracted to Kiara as she is very, very different from the girls in his life in the past. She is not a party girl, a drunken idiot, or someone who just wants to sleep with him. She has goals and dreams and he cannot help think he is the wrong guy for her.

But living with her family, seeing his own brother settled into a strong and committed relationship, starts to impress and scare him. And of course, the drug trouble has not gone away yet. Someone wants to play games with Carlos, use him for their own nefarious reasons. It is not an ideal situation, falling in love and having to deal with guns and drugs.

Simone Elkeles had my attention from the very first page. Carlos is a very vocal and attention-getting character. He wants to live his life by no rules but he also does not always know how to deal with those consequences of this "no rules" life he wants to idealize. There is something snappy and strong about their connection, from the very first moment that these two meet, as new student and peer guide. They do seem very different and you wonder how these two from such different backgrounds can make it work. But friendship, humor, and of course, plenty of attraction definitely help.

While I found the transition from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend to be a bit abrupt and not as natural as I would have preferred, it was still a fun relationship to watch change. I also really enjoyed seeing Carlos find laughter and some comfort with his temporary family. He has strong ties to Alex, their mother, and their younger brother so there really wasn't much doubt that Carlos would find his niche in Kiara's family. He has deep ties to his Mexican heritage and to his family and those ties would carry over, no matter how much he would like to deny it.

I think Carlos was really the star of this book. While I found Kiara to be a likeable character, Carlos had such a strong personality that he came alive on the pages more so than Kiara. However, it was a great story and I enjoyed seeing how Alex and Brittany are doing too. Simone Elkeles writes a page-turning and romantic story. Teens, and fans of romance, are going to enjoy this story from beginning to end.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars For my teenage daugher
She loved this book and subsequently read it in two afternoons. She is a reading machine now. This is one of the first books I bought her.
Published 19 hours ago by Briana Powchak
3.0 out of 5 stars Many Will Enjoy This Book
This one has been out for awhile, and even though I enjoyed Perfect Chemistry, I never got around to reading the next book in the series until now. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Melissa
4.0 out of 5 stars it is a pass time book
it was good that carried on about his 2 brothers in the story in the girls they met in it
Published 4 days ago by Sharon Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive Series!!!
I read this entire series in the course of TWO days because I couldn't put it down. Granted there basically the same concept in each one, but hey, when something works, why fix it? Read more
Published 17 days ago by rajanaed
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
Excellent character development with plenty of plot twists to keep reader intrigued! Absolutely love the combining of cultures and teen issues!
Published 1 month ago by Yvette Hendry
4.0 out of 5 stars Rules of Attraction
The perfect showcase of love and sacrifice between brothers, friends, and soulmates. A great sequel to Perfect Chemistry that's only preparing for the next Fuentes love story.
Published 1 month ago by Azzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Jada Nicole
I love this book also I like kiara and Carlos relationship well all of the boys relationship but I like these to better.I having read the last one but I'm about to right now
Published 1 month ago by Jadabucknon
3.0 out of 5 stars a YA contemporary romance, with quite a slow-to-love couple
(Source: Purchased on kindle from Amazon.co.uk for Ł2.49)
Carlos is moving from Mexico to Colorado to live with his brother, and finish high school. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
I love this book great story just like the Perfect Chemistry! The other dos a great job with their stories.
Published 1 month ago by Evelyn Galindo
4.0 out of 5 stars Addictive
Teenagers and adults will enjoy the quirky characters who, refreshingly, are not Barbie-perfect. The premise is pretty original, considering how hard it is to find a storyline that... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pretty picky
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I'm getting mine on the 22 :(
better. its definitely better.
May 15, 2010 by Amanda Joy S. |  See all 2 posts
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