Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Porter Giese is a ghost who is easily bought. Causing trouble is his specialty, so present him with a cute cat or cat-themed anything, and he’s ready to do what you ask. Which is how he finds himself somehow embroiled with the old school monsters and maybe, possibly, doing their evil bidding.
But Porter is not all bad. Sure, he likes to be his favorite boyfriend’s mostly manifested side piece and haunt the bathroom next door, but when the Headmistress asks for his help to find the missing human students, he’s all for it. Getting drawn into a side plot isn’t his intention, but he saves the day anyway.
C.U.M back with me to the College of United Monsters! (Trust me, that’s a pun worthy of the series!) If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know how much I absolutely adore these books. The irreverence steps up another notch with this latest installment in the series, bringing back some of our favorite protagonists from former books. The fourth wall is smashed to smithereens, and Archer’s unique humor shines especially bright with this book.
We meet Porter as a prominent side character in Gorgon in 69 Seconds, and he easily carries this book on his own. I simply adored him. He is fully aware of his faults and weaknesses, but just as aware of his strength. And really, his adorableness knows no bounds. His affection for cats, his pride in his butt, and his willingness to right wrongs just endeared him to me from the very beginning. He knows what he’s done, he knows how to fix it, and he does exactly that.
This is the sort of book (and series) that has to be read to be understood and enjoyed. Archer repeatedly breaks the fourth wall to great effect. The characters are irreverent, fun, and absolutely hysterical. Each book is packed full of puns, and I find myself smiling and laughing at the sheer creativeness of the books. Nuttin’ But Trouble is no exception, and in fact, I think it’s my favorite so far. It’s silly, ridiculous, and completely over the top. But it wouldn’t be a C.U.M book if it wasn’t. Porter takes the farcical to a whole extra level, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
