The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre

Synopsis

Iris Collins is the messy one in her family. The “chaos bunny.” Her sisters are all wildly successful, while she can’t balance her budget for a single month. It’s no wonder she’s in debt to her roommates. When she unexpectedly inherits a house from her great aunt, her plan to turn it into a B&B fails—as most of her plans do. She winds up renting rooms like a Victorian spinster, collecting other lost souls…and not all of them are “human.”

Eli Reese grew up as the nerdy outcast in school, but he got rich designing apps. Now he’s successful by any standards. But he’s never had the same luck in finding a real community or people who understand him. Over the years, he’s never forgotten his first crush, so when he spots her at a café, he takes it as a sign. Except then he gets sucked into the Iris-verse and somehow ends up renting one of her B&B rooms. As the days pass, Eli grows enchanted by the misfit boarders staying in the house…and even more so by Iris. Could Eli have finally found a person and a place to call “home”?

Bite Size Review

4 stars

This is a quick and charming read.

This story combines both the “found family trope” with an urban fantasy setting.

We follow:

-Iris, born in a psychic vampire family and who has always been the odd duckling. She has never had any of her family’s gifts nor has she her life under control. She has piles of financial debts so when she inherits her great aunt’s Victorian house, it feels like a lifeline.

When her plans to make it into a B&B fails, she decided to rent the rooms, collecting several “lost and lonely souls” in the process.

–Eli who is shy and sweet.

He has always had a big crush on Iris since she defended him in school. Now very successful, he’ll become one of Iris roommates even if it was not in his plans nor does Iris remember him. And he’ll also find a family in the process.

-Henry Dale, an old grump with a golden heart, also one of Iris boarders. He’ll slowly warm up to everyone, come out of his shell.

-Sally with her colorful knitted scarves and jumpers, all full of positive energy and decided to finally live her life even in her old(er) age.

-Mira the tech witch and also Iris roommate.

And finally Rowan a young artist going by they/them and rejected by his own family.

The trope centers around Iris and how she’ll renovate the house thanks to her roommates help all while launching her jewelry business and maybe finding who she was meant to be too.

You have two evil villains. The first is a set of villains with Iris family, ashamed of her and very manipulative.

The second is an avenging neighbor never happy with what Iris does or doesn’t with the house and openly racist.That one is easy to read, charming, swoony and adorable. One to consider if you want a quick and sweet read filled with endearing characters and a little bit of magic

Thanks for reading.