Fantasy | 16-Adult
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I’ve discussed before about the challenge of transitioning from YA to adult books; this is an excellent recommendation for teens as well as adult readers. I loved this sweet romance, and it came at the perfect time, when I needed a mental distraction. I couldn’t wait to get back to the story, and didn’t want it to end. That’s a great sign, and doesn’t happen as often as it used to, thanks to my own distracted self. The premise is simple – Iris Collins is the black sheep of her family, never succeeding at her endeavours and always disappointing her demanding parents. She is couch surfing with friends and owes them two months’ rent; her credit cards are maxed out, and her online jewelry business is costing more than it generates. She’s saved when her Great-Aunt Gertie mysteriously leaves her a house – a run-down Victorian with enough bedrooms that she decides to open a rooming house, and starts renting spaces. How she collects people who need a home, and creates a family of supportive, welcoming, and joyful people of all genders and sexualities is a sweet delight. Her first roomie is Eli, a childhood classmate she doesn’t remember, but who has never forgotten her and how she stood up to bullies on his behalf. Several readers have referred to him as a stalker, but that’s just nonsense. We’ve all looked up former classmates and romantic interests to see how they are doing, and keep up with their doings. That’s not a stalker, and you all need to understand the difference. What surprised me about the book was the magical element. I’m generally not into fantasy, but this was so well done, and could perhaps serve as a example for our own world on how to be inclusive and accepting. And the cover! Swoon…. It’s the fourth in a series but I didn’t know that till I’d finished; it easily reads as a standalone novel. My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63103712

Hey there! I just finished reading 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 by 𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞, and I have to share this positive and heartwarming read with you. It's a story about a rundown purple house, the lonely young woman who inherited it, and the lovely found family that seem to gravitate toward her. The world-building in this one was fun, unique, and interesting, and the quirky characters were totally lovable. Despite the strife and struggles in the story, I still couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside while reading it. It was such an uplifting story. Iris and Eli were just the cutest couple ever. They went from being strangers to roommates to good friends. Their slow-burn attraction was perfect, and I couldn't wait for them to finally find their way to each other. I enjoyed the determination of the characters, especially Iris. She was an inspiring FMC. She never gave up on herself, even when things got tough.⁠

What's more, the LGBTQIA+ representation is refreshing and beautifully done, with no unnecessary drama or debates. The characters were happy just living their lives, coexisting, and helping each other, which was lovely. This book was a phenomenal read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book if you're in the mood for something uplifting and heartwarming. It's a sweet found family romance with a touch of magic that you won't want to miss!⁠
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A special thanks to NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Casablanca, for an eARC of this excellent book.

A pretty cute rom-com that I think many readers will enjoy. The pacing felt a bit off in the second half and I did find the love interest to be more creepy than charming. However, I do think rom-com fans will enjoy this.

The coziest romcom. I feel like every book that is cozy fantasy is sold as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic but this one really is I promise. For a fourth in a series, it was so simple to jump into. The world is wonderful.

This is a wholesome romance, with no spice. Make sure you’re aware of that before going in because a lot of people tend to see the cartoonish covers and still expect to see spice. It is cozy, which isn’t always my favorite, but does feature diverse character, has the found family trope, and LGBTQIA+ representation. Eli is also a borederline stalker, which I can get with when it’s a dark romance, but can feel icky when the book is marketed as cozy and wholesome - which it is in every other aspect.

This book is so good! A lovable cast of misfits! These characters touched my heart without making me sad. The world is so fun and interesting.

The MMC gives golden retriever vibes while being a romcom version of a stalker.

Amazon review is still under review sent my profile so you can see it once it’s approved.

The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aquire
Paranormal romance. Fix-it Witches series #4. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Iris Collins doesn’t feel like she fits in with her family and her current roommate situation is no better. The news that she has inherited a house from a distinct relative is the perfect time to start over and get her own jewelry making shop started. Iris moves into the huge purple house with gingerbread trim and starts looking for roommates.
Eli Reese believes moving into Iris’s house is the perfect opportunity to thank her changing his life all those years ago. If he can help her now, he will think of it as fate. Spending time with her has his feeling deepening and he realizes he needs to come clean about their history, his job and the fact that he’s a hawk shifter.

🎧 I read an ecopy of this book and followed up with an audiobook. The narrator is Carly Robins and the performance is wonderfully done with distinct voices for Iris, Eli, Sally, Henry Dale, and others. The narration makes clear the careful steps Eli takes with Iris, the gruffness of Henry Dale and Sally’s exuberance. Emotions are clear and timing is well done. This narrator has an extensive catalog and it’s clear with this book that experience lends to an audiobook preference over reading.
I listened to this at 1.5 which is my preferred timing.

“When Iris smiled, stars might as well be twinkling in her gray eyes. He lost his breath a bit.”
Eli is a bit timid with Iris but so adorable in his wanting to help make her life better. When the home group teams up, it’s clear they are now a family. The paranormal twist for Iris is a bonus which brings joy and satisfaction.
3.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media.

I had previously enjoyed Aguire’s novel Witch Please, the first in her Fix-It Witch Series. Although The Only Purple House in Town is set in the same world as Fix-It Witch, the central couple have other supernatural lineage.

Iris Collins was raised by a family of psychic vampires, but believes she lacks any special abilities herself. Eli Reese has made a small fortune creating popular apps, but a late bloomer, most days he’d rather shift and fly free in his avian form then interact with other people. Eli and Iris met briefly in their youth before Eli moved away, but they bump into each other again as adults while Eli is fixing up his grandmother’s house for sale and Iris just inherited a purple Victorian, which she is renting to make ends meet. Sparks fly when Eli moves in; it seems Iris just might discover her hidden self and Eli might find a reason to stay in human form.

They are joined in the restoring the old purple Victorian by several quirky humans and one witchy roommate. Although the core couple are straight, several LGBTQ characters are also featured and the growing suspicions and hatred towards the supernatural community seem paralleled to the rise of prejudice in our own society giving the book a timeliness. A meddlesome neighbor adds some drama and Eli and Iris have a few early misunderstandings to overcome but this low stakes cozy supernatural romance will make an enjoyable beach read. This gentle read will appeal to fans of TJ Klune’s novels.

I received a copy of The Only Purple House in Town from Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Oh gosh, it has been a long time since I read a book that I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I so badly wanted to love this book but it needed a new round with beta readers and editors. TOPHIT has about 20 storylines happening at once, none of them exciting or well-flushed out enough to keep the readers interest. It gets so repetitive, predictable, then adds another storyline.
Sadly I clearly didn’t love it.

This is definitely not my preferred genre. Or I just didn’t care for the writing style. The plot was a hot mess, and not in a good way. Stalking, right off the bat, in a contemporary romance novel? Not my cup of tea.

The point of view was confusing at times, because it switches from third person dual POV to random first person italicized fonts. It messed up the flow of the story for me.

This is a cute paranormal romance. Iris is a “chaos bunny” and loses her job. She inherits her great-aunts house and decides to live in it and rent out rooms. She’s not close to her family, they’re completely different.

Eli knew Iris in elementary school where she in while he was being bullied and he’s had a crush on her ever since. He’s now a wealthy app developer but when he finds out she is renting out rooms he can’t resist and moves in.

Oh, and Iris’ family, Eli, and half the people in her town have paranormal powers. All of this makes for an entertaining read that I enjoyed, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I have seriously mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I was sick while reading and having a hard time focusing, so I needed something easy to read. This fit the bill, but I suspect that if I *hadn't* been sick I would have been a lot more critical of it. I also suspect that if I had read it rather than listening I would have been a lot more critical of the writing. Even in the audio it took me a while to get into it because I could tell the writing wasn't great, but I was eventually charmed by the found family.

I didn't realize it was fourth in a series until I'd already finished it, but I would argue that that doesn't matter and it works just fine as a standalone - you just don't recognize the cameos. And I suppose you have to accept the world for what it is with all the magical creatures, but that seemed natural enough.

I wasn't ever 100% on board with the romance. Eli and Iris are each disasters in their own way - Eli reads as autistic and while he is quite good at making money by developing successful apps he is a disaster socially and has pretty much given up on it. Iris is a disaster financially/adulting-ly and reads as ADHD but is great at pulling in a charming found family.

I can forgive disasters though. I can't as easily forgive Eli for his initial stalkerish behavior. She saved him from being bullied when he was 10, he's stalked her socials monthly ever since, but he runs away every time he tries to talk to her. Then he works up his courage to thank her and give her bracelet back and ends up accidentally renting a room in her house. I mean, he grows on me. He's sweet and seems to mean well and wants Iris to succeed and to help her, he just goes about it in a stalker-y way that is uncomfortable. And Iris, while being initially creeped out when she discovers it, forgives it VERY quickly and just lets it all go with an 'oh but he meant well.'

The actual romance takes up very little page time and is implied rather than shown. I was a little relieved to not get a sex scene as skimming those is harder via audio, but a single sentence 'they became one' was also a little weird, especially when the rest of the romance takes a back seat to the rest of the found family.

I have mentioned found family quite a bit haven't I? It's because that's where this book shines. Iris collects misfits, and as her house and life fill up its just so, so satisfying. Several of them are even queer which makes it even better. As they slowly work together to refurbish the house, they grow closer and become a real family. I was so happy that this takes up the majority of the book because it's the part that really kept me hooked. I would have happily read twice as much about them slowly coming together and making the house shine. (I think it's the proper length as-is, I'm just saying I didn't want to let the characters go.)

The ending twist came out of left field (yes, it was foreshadowed but still) and I'm not entirely sold on it, but it was entertaining. I don't think enough questions of Iris' background get resolved though. And I also don't think enough logistical questions get resolved (how they earn a living beyond Eli just quietly buying essentials, questions of inheritance, property taxes etc, how things actually get resolved with the nasty neighbor...).

Basically read it for the found family, but be prepared to forgive/overlook a lot of everything else.

The narrator does a great job with different voices for the characters and does a lot to help smooth out the writing but it is still a bit awkward in places.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Dreamscape media for providing an early copy and early audio copy for review.

Iris’ life is a bit of a mess until she unexpectedly inherits an old purple house from her great aunt. Things start to come together for Iris when she opens the house up to a series of misfit roommates and finds her chosen family. This book is fairly lighthearted and low stakes, with moments of T J Klune -esque sweetness. A great summer read!

I went into this story really interested in the plot. I was turned off pretty quickly from Eli's stalker tendencies. It went past cute and was extremely creepy and gave me the ick. If that element was treated differently the story would have been better in my opinion. I just could not get behind their love story. It would have been so easy to say, oh I know you and everything else would have been okay. I did enjoy the aspect of found family. There were a lot of characters to keep up with but they all felt unique which was enjoyable. Overall a cozy light fantasy and if you are looking for a easy read that doesn't have complex things going on, I'd recommend this.

This book was amazing…
A cute story about found fameliy, and finding your place in The world..
Loved every person in The story and meating them and learning there story

I love a good story of a small magical town. Throw in running a house you inherited, and I'm hooked. This book was a little long, but overall it leaves you with a warm and cozy feeling. Found family, belonging, and discovering who you really are, are key themes in this book. Plus lots of magic. I really enjoyed this book, and absolutely recommend it for your next cozy fall read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

The Only Purple House in Town is a heartwarming tale of love, acceptance and found family.
Iris is a powerless physic vampire who is at rock bottom when she inherits her Great Aunts’ house. Looking for help with her finances, Iris rents out the other bedrooms in the large purple house. In doing so she she assembles the family she has been looking for with the eclectic bunch of people who rent the rooms from her.
While I enjoyed the story I found myself wanting more from the magical system and world building side of things. I feel like the surface was only just scratched when explaining Iris’s world but overall still a fun, enjoyable read.

I'll start out with the positives for this review. I was immediately drawn to the cover and synopsis of this book. The cover is perfectly whimsical and I think embodies the essence of what this story was supposed to be. The synopsis was intriguing and made me want to pick the book up. However, there was nothing in the description that indicated that this was a continuation of a series of books that can be read as standalones. I think that would be important to mention because it really threw me off. The whole "stalking" plotline was slightly uncomfortable to me. Overall, the magical elements were nice and the found family aspect worked well. Some of the writing started to get repetitive, and it started to become annoying. The book accomplished what it set out to be about, but it just didn't do it in the way I would have hoped and could have used some more development.

The non-vampire from a family of psychic vampires inherits a rambling, purple Victorian house in this fourth book in the Fix-It Witches series from Ann Aguirre. Low on funds and needing a place to live, Iris Collins uproots her life to move hours away into the purple house and begins acquiring roommates, one of which is a man from her past who—unbeknownst to Iris—has been holding onto the memory of her since childhood.

Eli Reese is only in town to prepare his grandmother’s house to be sold. After that, he plans to fly back to his condo in another state and continue working on and developing apps, but when the avian shifter encounters childhood crush Iris in a coffee shop and stumbles into renting a room from her, his plans change.

I tend to enjoy paranormal romances, and I appreciated the found family and LGBTQIA+ rep in this book. I liked how the characters found a place to belong at Violet Gables.

Unfortunately, though, I just wasn’t very engaged or engrossed in the story. There was more telling, than showing from the author, and the characters didn’t feel multidimensional to me. Maybe it’s because there were so very many characters, but I would have preferred for at least all the characters that lived at Violet Gables to be more fleshed out. It also felt like some of the conflicts were left open-ended or were quickly brushed aside instead of finding resolution.

Ultimately, my favorite thing about the book was cranky, old Henry Dale, the man who rents the room next to the kitchen because he doesn’t want to live around the others.

I received an advance copy of the book from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I have kind of mixed feelings about this book. It’s supposed to be the fourth book in the Fix-It Witches series (I have read the first three books), but the cover and the vibe are very different. You probably can read this book as a standalone, but I do think it makes slightly more sense having read the previous books. The first three books, from what I remember, were spicy. This has zero spice (which is fine, but if someone’s reading this book as part of the series, they might be a little disappointed if they’re expecting that kind of content. I saw some reviews upset about the mmc “stalking” the fmc, but what he did before they met did not come across as stalking, in my opinion. He looked at her social media every so often - and that’s it. I obviously feel he should have been honest with the main character, but that’s a fairly big plot point, mentioned throughout the story. I do also think she seemed unnecessary angry when she finds out he has money. I was glad she was the one to seek him out to resolve things.
This series always has a lot of LGBTQ representation, which is great, but there’s so much of it, it almost starts to seem less realistic. It totally makes sense that marginalized people would seek each other out to form community, but this almost seems to go beyond that. It doesn’t bother me, but takes me out of the story a bit.
It took me some time to get into this story, but for most of it, I was really enjoying the cozy fantasy, which a bit of romance. It didn’t end great for me (from when the fmc gets upset until the end) and the situation with her birth parents didn’t feel quite fleshed out enough, but mostly I had a nice time reading this story. I just don’t think it should be considered the fourth book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!