Started reading The Lover right before midnight last night. . .done in less than an hour. . . complete, simple, exquisite and perfect. Had to recheck all doors and windows, turned out all lights. Stood behind the curtains, peeking out at the autumn leaves swirling, whirling. . .earlier in the day I'd mused that they were dancing. . .how could I not see them as I did now? Flying, twirling for their very lives. . .?????? I left one lone light on. At least I'd see whatever was coming at me. . .

Tucked myself back in, put on the reading glasses, and started at the beginning and read this again, shivering under my quilts.

So good.

*A sincere thank you to Silvia Moreno-Garcia (and a promise to read your other works!), Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheLover #NetGalley

I'm sure this will be a fine book, but I definitely will not have time to get to the story before the archive date happens, in which case I will not be able to give my feedback. That would negatively impact my response ratio, which is not good, as I already missed out on giving feedback on so many books because this year has been so absolutely busy and stressful that I have not had the time nor mental capacity to get to many of these books before they are gone forever! It is as upsetting for both sides. I apologize, but I will do better for the future! I am appreciative that I have been giving access to so many great new releases.

I liked this. I thought it was descriptively written. It annoyed me at times but I thought the ending was so clever and really sold this for me.

This was a short and yet highly enjoyable story! The ending absolutely made me cheer. I enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing style and am looking forward to reading more of her backlist. Specific to this story - I thought it was very well done for a short story format. It's often hard to develop characters or drive any sort of reader engagement in not a lot of pages, but that was very well done in this story. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did - and I kept wondering how the story would end. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and loved the way that it wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this story to read and review!

These days I read very little fiction that isn’t either romance or mysteries, and so I seem to lack the words to describe what I felt while reading this short story, other than I found it compulsively readable despite the constant undercurrent of dread that hums through the text from the first page to the last.

Beware: horror-adjacent fantasy; non-explicit sex on page; cheating.

The story is told entirely from Judith’s deep point of view. As the lonely younger child who was emotionally abused and physically exploited, now that she’s reaching adulthood she struggles with soul-deep loneliness and a growing rebellious resentment of her circumstances.

This cauldron of stifled passion finally boils over the winter after her older sister remarries; however, Judith’s rebellion does not alleviate the bleakness of her life, it only adds guilt and regret to the already unstable mix.

The narrative has a lyrical and almost hypnotic quality at times, while in other passages the writing is almost pedestrian; this duality contributes to the feeling of slipping between worlds: how much of what happens is real, how much is Judith’s imagination, fairy tale or nightmare. In the end, each reader will have their own answer.

This story will stay with me for a while.

“The Lover” gets 9.00 out of 10

The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a beautifully crafted novella.
Anything this author writes is bound to be amazing right?
This atmospheric story was such a pleasant surprise.
This was a dark, fast paced and exciting little fairytale that I devoured.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

I thought this was a very enjoyable short story about Judith and her desire to find a lover. I found the story to be very well rounded for being so short.

The Lover is a lushly written, atmospheric, dark fairytale. Despite being just over 40 pages, I still felt satisfied with the story. Could I have enjoyed an entire full-length novel of this story? Probably. But I'm happy with how this ended. The Lover is filled with vivid storytelling that masterfully stimulates the imagination. I especially enjoyed the snowy winter setting. It has a touch of magic, mystery, and an ending that will leave you wondering.

I really enjoy this short story, as I love everything by this author. This was a good story of wanting and desire. Judith has always been waiting for a husband, knowing he will come from the forest. When a handsome man appears, she believes this to be her husband. However, her sister takes him instead, as she gets everything. However, the man still has an eye on Judith and begins to romance her as well. When a mysterious stranger with a curse comes and offers his love to Judith as well……she may have to make some life or death choices. and perhaps she’s evil enough to chose death.

Clocking in at a little over 40 pages, this is book is best described as beautifully crafted storytelling that stimulates the imagination. The descriptions are vivid, and the pace is quick as it is a short read, yet we are given an abundace of information within the story as it unfolds that ensures we suffer no choppy disconnect between the characters and plot.

The gothic vibe and twist at the end of the story intrigued me, and I am glad I read this in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Silvia Moreno-Garcia for a copy.

This was a good short story, but I wasn’t overly drawn into the characters. I’ve never been a huge fan of short stories, as I’d rather read a full-length novel, but I have read some of the author’s work in the past and decided to give this one a chance!

The characters were engaging enough, but for a short story, I didn’t feel connected early enough to them and felt like I was waiting for a stronger connection with so few pages left to have that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this story to review!

Little Red Riding Hood meets Cinderella in this novella by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This novella is perfect for the fall and spooky season. It follows Judith, who is taken advantage of by everyone in her life, until the wolf comes along. Quick and fun, I rated this 4 stars.

A beautiful and gut wrenching short story fairy tale that weaves a tale of broken hearts and destined soul mates with a classic twist ending and swoon worthy monster love.

Short and sweet, with imagery that feels like it was transcribed by ripping it straight from the chest itself.

The ending was obvious the whole way there, but enough details were described in such a way that left me wondering if something different was about to happen or not.

Overall just beautiful.

A short story I’ll be recommending all winter. The Lover is a fairytale in a similar vein to the Brothers Grimm, with a dark heart and a twisted moral. The logline for the story aptly describes it: during a brutal winter, a young woman longing for love finds more than expected from the woods. These wintery elements make you want to curl up while it snows, only to look out over a snow-shrouded forest and see a wolf. It has that sort of feeling. Grand, really.

But while the atmosphere is lovely enough, I found myself wishing the story explored the themes a little deeper. I know, I know, hard to do in a short story. It still left me a little restless, wanting for something more. The prose itself leans towards being unadorned, to the point, which is only a positive or a negative depending on your personal preference. I think I prefer my fairytales to be a bit more lyrical, however.

All in all, a quick read that gives you a small glimpse into the characters’ lives. It left me wanting to see more of what path the characters take afterwards, but that’s a sign that Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows what she’s doing when it comes to making you invested in her characters.

"Wickedly sensuous" is such a good descriptor for this lush-with-a-bite fairy tale. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's become a favorite writer of mine; I appreciate the way she can make even a short story feel so dark and deep, the way she can make this world feel so lived-in with so few words. (All the storytelling in the wolf fables and the murder ballad alone!)

I love Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s work more with each piece of hers I read! This was a short story with Grimm fairy tale like vibes. She brings these characters to life in such a short span of time. It’s both dark and sensual and suspenseful and I wanted so much more! Another atmospheric and gothic short tale perfect for the spooky season!

‘During a brutal winter, a young woman longing for love finds more than she expected in the woods…’

A dramatic and vengeful little tale with a pinch of sauce & fairytale….

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this arc in exchange for a review.

I wish there was more to this story! I zoomed through this in 15 minutes flat and easily felt as though I could read an entire book with these characters. Dark and fantastical, it's a tale that will capture the affection of anyone who loves dark fairy tales.

A brand new Grimms Fairytale is what this serves up. In this short story, Silvia Moreno Garcia brews a deliciously dark, gothic, sensuous fairytale with a few sprinkles of the supernatural, a dash of Cindrella and a sliver of Beauty and the Beast. Set in a quaint village with snow-capped pine tries, by the deep dark woods with a rundown forest cabin; this tale of love, passion, adultery, guilt and revenge is the ideal read for this season. I didn't quite like Mexican Gothic, but with this Moreno absolutely stole my heart.

This short story is a fast paced exciting tale of romance and drama. After Judith casts a small spell to see her fortune about a further lover, she needs a man from the woods, just as she expects. As with all things, is it ever truly as it seems?