Review: Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino

Title: Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino
Romancelandia Series Book One
Whitetail Series Book Three
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, M/M
Length: 315 pages/Word Count: 80,500
Book Rating: A

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

It isn’t true love until someone gets hurt.

Sam’s a new man. Yes, he’s still too tall, too skinny, too dorky, too gay, and has that unfortunate addiction to romance novels, but he’s wised up. His One True Love is certainly still out there, but he knows now that real life is nothing like fiction. He’s cultivated the necessary fortitude to say ‘no’ to the next Mr. Wrong, no matter how hot, exciting, and/or erotic-novel-worthy he may be.

Until he meets Ian.

Ian’s a new man. He’s pain-free, has escaped the job he hated and the family who stifled him, and is now-possibly-ready to dip his toe into the sea of relationships. He’s going to be cautious, though, maybe start with someone who knows the score and isn’t looking for anything too complicated.

Someone with experience and simple needs that largely revolve around the bedroom.

Until he meets Sam.

Sam’s convinced that Ian is no one’s Mr. Right. Ian’s sure that Sam isn’t his type. They can’t both be wrong . . . can they?

The Review:

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. If you are a fan of M/M romances, you need to pick up a copy as soon as possible. Seriously. You do not want to miss reading this delightful novel.

For someone who is addicted to both gay and straight romance novels, Sam recognizes his tortured hero as soon as he stumbles into Ian Cully’s life. Sam easily recognizes the parallels between a romance novel plot and his own burgeoning relationship with Ian. Will he and Ian avoid the typical pitfalls that befall a fictional romance couple?

If you are a big reader of romance novels, you know EXACTLY what the Too Stupid to live heroine is like. Irritating as all get out and if you are like me, you want to slap that hapless girl silly and knock some sense into her. I am happy to report, that unlike most Too Stupid to Live heroines, err, heroes, I never wanted to slap Sam. Nope, he is refreshingly level headed and downright lovable. And Ian is perfect in the tortured hero role!

Ian is starting his life over when he meets Sam. He has moved to a new state, he has a new job and he is ready to get in touch with his emotions. His self-imposed celibacy is over and Ian is ready to step back into the dating game. While he is ready for a little emotional intimacy, Ian is clueless when it comes to relationships. There are a few missteps and miscommunications along the way , but he and Sam are soon figuring out how to find their happily ever after.

In so many ways, Sam and Ian are opposites. Ian is in his early thirties whereas Sam is in his early twenties. Sam has little sexual experiences while Ian has been around the block a time or thirty. Sam has always lived out of the closet and Ian is so straight that Sam does not even realize he is gay at first. Sam has had a couple of (unmemorable) relationships and Ian’s longest relationship was with a woman.

In the beginning, Sam and Ian’s relationship is nothing but a few sexual hook-ups. Extremely hot sexual hook-ups. Slowly but surely, their relationship becomes more serious and that is when the trouble begins. Ian is still figuring out how the relationship thing works and he is also dealing with some family issues. While Sam is pretty together emotionally, he has a few insecurities that continue to plague him. One Big Misunderstanding later, their relationship is on rocky ground and Ian is scrambling to figure out how to smooth things over.

On the surface, Too Stupid to Live seems like a typical romance novel. But Anne Tenino has a few unexpected twists and turns that keep it from becoming a stereotypical love story.The romance is sweet while the lovemaking is smokin’ hot. The protagonists are flawed but those imperfections make them human and easy to relate to. Ian and Sam have obstacles to overcome, but they manage to solve their issues with very little angst. It is a fun and light-hearted read with just enough seriousness to give the plot added depth and substance.

I LOVED this novel and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Too Stupid to Live is the first book in the Romancelandia series, but the third book in the Whitetail series. The previous books are free reads that can be found on Ms. Tenino’s website. Even though I had not read the previous installments, I had no trouble reading Too Stupid to Live as a standalone story.