4 stars

synopsis:
sam is a geek and awkward and gay. and he can't really ever be anything else. ian, on the other hand, has been passing as hetero all of his life, although he has recently made a resolution to stop doing that. the first time they meet, sam is laid out by a well thrown rugby ball. ian is one of the guys trying to catch the ball, and sam imagines that they are highlanders chasing him down. oh yeah, and sam reads romance novels. ian turns sam down, but fates conspires to bring them together again in the form of nik and jurgen's house warming party, and ian hooks up with sam, for one night only. 11 days later, fate conspires again, and they face the fact that maybe they are meant to be.

what i liked: pretty much everything. sam was so endearing, but not stupid or naive, although he figures that he must be the TSTL character. ian was gruff and resistant, but something about his awkward hook-up just got to him. when he's given another chance, ian takes it, but walks away again. when he finally realizes that he just might want a relationship with this guy who is "not his type", he is as awkward and bungling as sam ever is. one of my favourite lines is when sam is expounding on his faults, how he's too skinny and tall and awkward and he's not great looking and he's really not ian's type. ian replies that maybe that was true when they first met, but that "now, i just see you, sam." the growth in ian was heartfelt.

what i didn't like: nothing. really well done, and i've re-read it several times since first reading it a couple of weeks ago. ( )

I thought the Whitetail Rock series was a bit on the average side, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I'm not thrilled with this one, either. While this is poised as the start of the Romancelandia series, it is spun out of Whitetail Rock and pretty much all the characters show up in that series at some point.

What gets me in this one is the characters. They're so inconsistent and unrealistic, it's hard to even suspend disbelief enough to get into the story - which in itself is a bit more far-fetched than I would expect from a romance novel. I'd definitely say there are better books out there on which to spend your time.

Content warning: manipulation for sex, violence ( )

Too Stupid to Live just moved to the top of my favorite books by Anne Tenino list. This story is funny, poignant and too sexy for words. To read my review in its entirety, please click HERE. ( )

3.5

Tenino is one of those authors whose books it’s easy for me to pick up. I know they’re good, and 80 % of the time I like them. [b:Too Stupid to Live|16149703|Too Stupid to Live (Romancelandia, #1)|Anne Tenino|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352909561s/16149703.jpg|21985084] is one of those books I liked. It’s easy to read, funny, and even when the MC’s face difficult subjects, it doesn't turn into a dark, desperate story.

I especially enjoyed the references to romance novels and their structure with Sam comparing his life to one. He really did find his hero in Ian, who turned out to be everything I didn't at first meeting expect. But neither did Sam. ( )

4.5

*Book source ~ NetGalley

Sam is a graduate student, too gawky, awkward and clumsy with an addiction to romance novels. He’s also gay. His past relationships have been crap and his self-esteem is in the toilet. Then he meets Ian. Ian is tall, built like a brick shithouse and not relationship material. Or so he says. But when the two meet there’s something there, something worth exploring if only they can drop the baggage that’s weighing them down and start fresh.

Wow. This is a wonderfully written tale about two men with issues who stumble and bumble their way through a relationship they both want to work but end up with a lot of misunderstandings because of their past issues. However, they don’t give up and eventually they get on the same page. It’s painful to watch and yet it’s also heartwarming. I love this couple! The characters of Ian and Sam are fully developed. The rest of the characters aren’t as real to me, but that may be because the story is told from both Ian and Sam’s POV. The romance is sweet, the sex is hot and at times kinky and the characters are endearing. This is my second read by Anne Tenino and I’m not disappointed. ( )