Blog Tour: A Review of The Heart-Shaped Box by Lucy Kaufman
Today I am helping end the Blog Tour for The Heart-Shaped Box by Lucy Kaufman! I am sharing my review for this novella. If you are lucky enough to be in the UK, there is a giveaway going on! This is a page-turning psychological thriller novella about infatuation, revenge and the lengths we will go to for love.
Novella Description:
Victorian, rural Sussex. When headstrong daughter of a rector, Constance Timothy, receives a flurry of gifts in pretty little boxes from the charming, smouldering student doctor Smith Williams, her whole family anticipates a future betrothal.
Yet beneath the exquisite pastel lids and satin bows lie macabre secrets that entice Constance into a private world of obsession and darkness, where morality becomes blurred, loyalties are tested and unthinkable acts are possible.
One secret will shake the genteel world she knows to the core…
The first book of The Carousel of Curiosities series, this haunting novella is perfect for readers of Sarah Waters, Laura Purcell, and Angela Carter.
The Heart-Shaped Box
Series: Carousel of Curiosities #1
Author: Lucy Kaufman
Published: February 3, 2026
Kindle: 87 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: January 19-29, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Jessica’s Review:
The Heart-Shaped Box is a short novella, just 87 pages, but it pulls you in! At first you think it’s going to have a little romance with Constance receiving gifts from her suitor Smith Williams, but then what the gifts are… The reader realizes that this novella is in fact, is going down a dark path!
The more gifts Constance receives the further into the macabre Constance goes, and she is seemingly enjoying it. As the novella progresses, there are a few unexpected twists and then the reader was left hanging: I need the second in this series as I need to know what happens! Ms. Kaufman, how many novellas will be in this series? When will novella two be released?
In addition to a potential romance this novella has topics that readers who enjoy ‘darker’ novellas will enjoy: Jealousy, the macabre, obsession, and more!
I received a copy to read and review as a part of the blog tour. I enjoyed reading this one! I just wish I had been able to sit down and read it quicker than I did.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
UK Giveaway
If you live in the UK you can enter this giveaway: Subscribe to Lucy Kaufman’s newsletter at www.sepiaink.co.uk by 15th February 2026 (UK home address only) to win a small heart-shaped box of chocolates!
About the Author:
Lucy Kaufman is an award-winning author, playwright, audio dramatist and poet. 40 of her plays have been performed professionally around the UK and Australia, to critical acclaim. She has lectured in Playwriting and Screenwriting for Pen to Print and Canterbury Christ Church University and is a mentor at The Writing Coach. Originally from London, she now lives by the sea with her husband, sons, dogs and cats.
Contact Lucy:
Instagram: @kaufmanlucy
Instagram: @sepiainkpublishing
Sepia Ink Website
Short Story Sunday: Novella Review: Off Limits by Ember Davis
Off Limits
Series: Stranger Shoot #1
Author: Ember Davis
Published: June 23, 2021
Kindle: 89 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: November 2, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 2 stars
Novella Description:
Are you interested in participating in a stranger photo session? It’s a fun way to meet someone new and take part in a unique experience. If you are single and in the Denver area, please fill out the form below. I will pair people as I see fit. All sessions will be free. I will post pictures from each shoot on social media. Each stranger session is different and will depend on the pair.
Maybe your soul mate is just a look away.
~Post on Ellie Banks’ social media
ASPEN
I signed up to be part of Ellie Banks’ stranger sessions because I was swept up in the romanticism of it all. I didn’t think I’d get picked. When the day comes, I’m nervous as hell. Still, I need to find out what all the fuss is about. It’ll be a nice change to my routine which basically involves working at a bookstore.
I don’t know what I was expecting but turning around and meeting Liam was a surprise. He sweeps me off my feet in an instant. Que the swell of swoon worthy background music. The connection between us is undeniable and unstoppable.
What happens when we find out that we’re more connected than we thought? Is it going to stand in our way? Will he fight for me when it matters the most?
LIAM
My business partner encouraged me to sign up for an internet trend, citing that I haven’t been on a date in five years as enough reason. He’s no better than me, devoting all his time and energy to making our IT business what it is now. The hard work has finally paid off.
Five years is long enough to be holed up only worried about the business. That’s the only reason I agree to go through with the photoshoot. Had I known my Sunshine was out there waiting for me in the innocent form of Aspen, I would have looked for her a long time ago. She’s everything that chases away a rainy day; the clouds part for me with one look.
It turns out she should be off limits, but I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of our forever. I’d risk it all, even my business, to make sure she’s the person I fall asleep next to and wake up holding every day for the rest of our lives.
Jessica’s Review:
**This review will have spoilers**
I love the idea of stranger photo sessions (I would go outside of my comfort box and actually do one!) and when I saw this novella, I decided to give it a go. I didn’t realize it was going to be open door bedroom scenes and bit too smutty for me, but I did finish it.
The reader gets to see both Aspen and Liam’s nerves about doing a stranger photo session. And they have an instant connection during the photo shoot. Thy moved it outside of the photo session to a first date.
This is where the ‘romance’ became too much for me: It was extreme insta-love on both sides; it seemed more so for him. Right away he is calling her “His Sunshine” and also extremely jealous of other men. Aspen and Liam find out they have a known person in common which could affect how their ‘relationship’ will progress.
They go on a first date and it gets hot pretty quickly after they watch a game. Aspen decides to tell Liam after she is in just her underwear how inexperienced she is (IE: She’s a virgin) yet they still go all the way. And the internal speak of both was just not for me: How they both wish he would ‘ride her bareback’ and “I want you big and round with my babies”. OMG: You don’t even know each other, it’s not love, it’s 1000% lust! Again, this is just their first date.
Of course there is a HEA, but this novella was just not for me. I will give this series one more try with the second novella to see if it is any better for me. And that is only because it is the stranger photo sessions.
Update: I tried the read the second novella in the series, (First Look) but ended up DNFing it. The second one was seemingly going the same way with the insta-love on both ends, with a slight drama in there. This is NOT FOR ME. And I hated that because I just love the idea of Stranger Photo Sessions (and going out on a bubble, I would totally do one!) but this series is seemingly the only novellas/books to read out there in that ‘subgenre’. I’m very disappointed….
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: #CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne
#CrimeTime
Authors:
Jeneva Rose
Drew Pyne
Narrator: Full cast narration
Published: December 12, 2023
Audiobook: 3 hours 45 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: July 19-20, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
The first audio original from Jeneva Rose, the author of blockbuster bestseller The Perfect Marriage, #CrimeTime is a full-cast mystery written with her husband, Drew Pyne, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Finley Donovan Is Killing It.
Going viral has never been so dangerous.
Nadiya loves her privacy: living alone and writing a popular series of crime novels under a pen name, she’s worked hard to build the quiet life she cherishes. But all that changes when her long-lost half-brother Chase comes to town, needing a place to stay until he can get back on his feet. Chase’s dream job is Nadiya’s worst nightmare: he’s an aspiring TikTok star, oversharing on the internet at every opportunity.
When a burglary occurs in the apartment upstairs, Chase decides to film and post all the action. Unbeknownst to him, this was not a random break-in, but a targeted operation run by dangerous criminals. Overnight, Chase’s videos go viral, garnering millions of views and amassing a huge following of loyal #Chasers. It’s everything he’s ever dreamt of, except the attention has brought the wrong kind of heat. Chase and Nadiya are plunged into a world of organized crime, and together, they must uncover the truth and clear their names before they become the next victims.
Performed by a full cast and filled with both laugh-out-loud banter and shocking twists, #CrimeTime is a delightful romp through the murky, unpredictable realms of crime, family, and the TikTok algorithm.
Jessica’s Review:
This is an audio only novella written by Jeneva Rose and her husband Drew Pyne and I absolutely loved it! This is an audio production, not just a full cast narration: We get sound effects that enhance everything with the story! I would advise against listening while driving, due to some of these effects (there are gun shots and I was glad I was not driving while listening to the last third of the novella!).
Based off of an actual event in a former apartment which the couple discusses in the authors’ note after the novella ends. This is the first writing collaboration of Jeneva and her husband Drew. I follow her on Instagram partly because of them as a couple as they are just hilarious. At the time I am writing this review (July 20th) we are waiting on another of their collaborations: The birth of their first child. Hopefully their baby will have made an appearance by the time my review posts on my website (July 29th).
This novella is not to be taken seriously… AT ALL. This. Novella. Is. Satire! I laughed throughout my listening. The story does get outlandish, but it was all in total fun! The audio production just makes this story: It’s perfection with it.
The characters are hilarious and the banter between Nadiya and Chase is perfect! Chase is a total Gen Z stereotype and Nadiya is the millennial stereotype. The story is outlandish, but a very fun journey to go on.
Definitely listen to the author’s note after the novella ends, we have both Jeneva and Drew talking about the real event that is fictionalized in this novella. We also get to hear them interact back and forth as a married couple.
I really hope that Jeneva Rose and Scott collaborate again, I would love to see these characters all return! And if you know anything about Ms. Rose and her writing journey, then I can’t help but mention we have a dirty cop named none other than Scott!
Bravo on this novella and full audio production! I really enjoyed this!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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