The following review is part of my being in the author’s review team, which ensures that you can read it the moment the book comes out.
Apparently, it is my weekend for pets in new releases. After talking about Burgess the squirrel in my review of Mandy M. Roth’s Spellcasting with a Chance of Spirits, this time, it is the turn of Robyn Peterman’s obese cats taking center stage in her Magic & Mayhem Universe novella, The Bad Boys of Assjacket, which comes out this Monday, 26 October, along with many other novellas of the same world. However, for Robyn Peterman, it is a first, for she may be the brain behind the Magic & Mayhem series, she had never, until now, written a novella in the Magic & Mayhem Universe collection.
What is the Magic & Mayhem Universe, you may ask? It is a collection of novellas based on Peterman’s famous series, written by authors handpicked by Robyn as a sort of gigantic (and hilarious) fan fiction. And since the books are novellas, they are short(ish), punchy, and go straight to the point, much for the readers’ enjoyment.
Is it necessary to have read the Magic & Mayhem series prior to reading The Bad Boys of Assjacket, or any of the myriad of novellas in the universe? Absolutely not, although it is a good bonus, insofar as many of the characters of Bad Boys are either taking active part in the action or being mentioned. But if you want to get to know Zelda, Mac, Fabio, Sassy, Baba Yaga, and the shifters of Assjacket, West Virginia, the first book of the series, Switching Hour, is available for free at all vendors.
It all starts with a dare
What is the story about? It really all starts with a dare, when Zelda challenges Fat Bastard, one of her three familiars, to steer clear of anything illegal for a full week, much to the dismay of his two (just as fat) counterparts, Boba Fett and Jango Fett.
Setting up to doing legal things for one whole week, the trio is, instead, headed to find the nards of the half-headed bear statue of Assjacket, which may or may not be at the root of the town’s magic. With the help of three Canadian she-cats, in town to tutor Sassy in learning to speak Canadian, and that of a miniature (and extremely foul-mouthed) troll, the cats embark on a mission to save Assjacket from human invasion.
Hilarious from start to finish
This is no secret: Robyn Peterman’s books are a laugh therapy in themselves, and The Bad Boys of Assjacket is no different. In fact, it is probably the most hilarious of the series, which is telling, since I still cannot read any of those books in public because of the uncontrolled laughter that they induce.
Her caricatural way of mocking the Canadian speech (eh!), the names of the three Canadian cats (Poutine, Annie Surely, and Blythe), the puns and, most of all, Fucking Derrick, are all among the ingredients for making you laugh to tears or, in my case, until you almost wee yourself.
I already loved Fat Bastard, Boba Fett, and Jango Fett, whom we meet early on in the Magic & Mayhem books, but this novella, putting them to the forefront of the action, simply makes me love them even more.
And what about Fucking Derrick! I seriously love this new character, who will, I hope, become a fixture in the upcoming books of the series. Because he is that amazingly hilarious!
Add to that the presence of Zelda, Sassy, Mac, Jeeves, Baba Yaga, and Fabio, and you’re in for quite a roller-coaster ride of laughs and more laughs!
But I have to say that Robyn Peterman is mean! Yes, she is! (Not in a bad way, but she is!) Why? Well, you need to read the novella to find out, no? Because I won’t spoil anything!
Just one piece of advice: read it with an empty bladder, without drinking, and not in a public place. Because it may cause some incidents or have people look at you weirdly.
My verdict
I’m so glad that Zelda’s fat familiars had their moment to shine! And what moment it was! So for that, and for Fucking Derrick, and for the laughs…
A feline and totally Canadian five stars, eh! ✰✰✰✰✰
Caro's Reads 
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