I am giving this five stars because I felt it contained everything a good short story should and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Judith is a young woman living with her widowed sister. This is a fairytale, so the sister is beautiful but nasty, her new husband is just plain lecherous, and then there is the unnamed man who comes from the forest. Like all good fairytales the ending is deliciously evil. I loved it!

I have not read anything by this author before but I will remedy that as soon as possible.

A short spooky story. It's terrific especially if you like Brother Grimm type of re-telling. It's about Judith and her pretty sister Alice. Very atmospheric and not meant to be at night. Not a fairy tale ending though as this is a bit dark.
Very compelling story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This was a captivating quick read.
Although it’s fair to assumed that a short book (or novella) will be fast pace, I have found that not all excel at being enthralling like this was.

The story has a strong resemblance to Grimm/childhood cautionary fairytales. Which added a level of mystery yet certainty that traditional fairytales have.
Moreno Garcia did an amazing job at creating this world and developing FMC Judith in less than 50 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Judith is the neglected younger sister, aged 18, forced to manage the family guesthouse, small shop and the chores; while her elder sister Alice was cossetted and allowed to dream and pursue the richer things of life. This is the state of things as we begin The Lover Alice is a wealthy widow, and Judith knows any hope for her to have a relationship will be from outside their small village.

Judith knows this true, because as a youth she cast a divination spell, and now a handsome young hunter, named Nathaniel has arrived at the guesthouse with plans to stay beyond the season. But Alice too has interests in Nathaniel. There is also a wolf that howls in the night and a well dressed beggar who seems to enjoy toying with Judith.

Judith's lover was prophesied to come from beyond the forest, but not in what shape, nor what the cost of that love would be.

A well written bite sized fantastical short tale to warm yourself with this winter.

A dark, sly fairytale, an edgy, vibrant, Mexican Gothic short story from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, of a spell to conjure love, signs of a dream lover that will emerge from the woods for the downtrodden Judith. Judith was not the pretty one, that was her sister, Alice, expected to marry well, her lot was to do all washing and all the chores, her hands dry and chapped. A situation that does not change when Alice marries well, only to soon become a widow. A good looking hunter, Nathaniel, arrives from the wood, Judith is convinced he is the one, only to have her dream shattered when he marries Alice. Another stranger emerges from the woods, a 'vagrant', but it is Nathaniel she wants. Delightfully hypnotic storytelling of voracious desire, sin, betrayal, a wolf, secrets, silence, a growing hunger and a killer ending. Many thanks to Amazon Original Stories for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of The Lover in exchange for my honest review.

Gorgeous, stunning, revolutionary take on a Grimm’s folk tale. I only wish that it could have been a full length novel.

Judith resides with her widowed sister Alice and both are looking for love. When a hunter arrives in their isolated village she believes her prayers have been answered but when he enters into her family it is as her sister's new husband, and not hers. She escapes to the woods with her grief but wolves prowl amongst the trees and as winter descends no-one is safe from what lurks there, no matter how much they long to make this place their sanctuary.

This was a very loosely-based retelling of 'Little Red Rising Hood' and I really liked how dark events were and how slowly they unfurled, despite the brief page count of this short story. This was a brooding and sensual tale, whose tone, transpiring events, and evocative writing style all matched. The ending was a little inconclusive but perfectly matched all that came before it and left me with a wicked grin on my face and really longing for more.

Author Siliva Moreno-Garcia, has written a wonderful novella of a classic story told in her style. Reminiscent of the the classic brother Grimm fairy tales, with that forward moving tempo of writing of anticipation. The characters are so well described you feel as if you have met them before. It's a short read that I couldn't put down.
I loved it, and highly recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Lover is a short story by award-winning, best-selling Mexican author, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. When Judith dreams of her future lover’s face, then finds a twig on the doorstep, she knows he will come from the woods. So when handsome hunter Nathaniel turns up at the guesthouse she helps her sister to run, she’d sure he is her destiny. Alice, though, prettier, a recent widow and mother of twins, and always praised and spoiled by their grandmother, soon gets her hooks into him.
When another stranger emerges from the woods, Judith is dismissive of his attentions: Nathaniel has her heart. But is that how it’s meant to be? A well-told tale with a paranormal aspect and a very dark twist.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories.

She knew her lover would come from the forest, and the handsome hunter seemed to fit the bill. But while they hit it off, it was her sister he married in the house they all shared.

What happens the rest of this brutal winter, with a cruel sister who has the man she wants, the hunter who comes to her anyway and promises a future, and the homeless beggar who seems to know her better than she knows herself is the subject of this short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It’s an adult fairy tale, with characters quickly defined and relationships as old as time.

I received an early copy from NetGalley and I’m glad I did. Morena-Garcia’s work is always a pleasure and she works her magic just as well in short stores as in longer works.

“She’d always known her lover would come from beyond the forest.”

This short story was pure perfection - dark, enchanting, sensual, with a touch of supernatural. It was everything I hoped for! The prose was beautiful, and I loved the ending! It reminded me a bit of classic Grimms’ fairy tales. I also loved the cover art. This was my first novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and it definitely won't be my last!

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher Amazon Original Stories, and author Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the gifted copy! I received a free copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was amazing, the writing was great as always with SMG and the atmosphere very reminiscent of fairy/folk tales. Truly, its one and only flaw is that it's way too short!

This novella is another wonderful, haunting, and romantic piece of work from the incredibly talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Two sisters, Alice the pretty one and Judith the more homely one, live in a village near the woods, When a man emerges from the woods, Judith thinks that this is the man she has foreseen as being her lover. He ends up marrying her sister.

Another man emerges, more down trodden but mysterious and he sets Judith's heart on flames.

The story is a reminiscent of Grimm's fairy tales - off kilter but quite engrossing.

I'm a huge fan of the author's previous works so of course I jumped on this one, and it didn't disappoint. The Lover is like a traditional fairy tale--dark and shapeshifting, with a conflict between sisters. I felt that the ending was a little rushed, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this atmospheric short story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

SMG is such a phenomenal storyteller, and The Lover is now absolutely on my list of favorite short fiction. The story is haunting and lyrical and in just a few short pages Moreno-Garcia creates a vivid cast of characters.

I feel like I need to read it again and annotate to really gather all my thoughts on how fantastic this is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This short, spooky fairy tale was everything it should be. Reminiscent of Grimms', it ended with just enough resolution to keep readers satisfied, but still wonder what happens after.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Lover releases November 1, 2023

2.5

Spells, winter woods, werewolves, and dark fantasies.

An omen that reveals itself by way of a twig, has Judith believing that her lover comes from beyond the forest.

Nathaniel, her lover (or so she thought), is a hunter from the forest. He stays with Judith and her sister’s family for the duration of the winter, but ends up marrying her sister Alice once she comes out of her grieving widow phase.

It’s a short fairytale/fantasy story (less than 50 pages) with a clever and twisted ending and an atmospheric setting, though I wish there wasn’t the element of cheating.
Could have used an extra chapter for further character depth/interactions!

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, because there's never enough time to connect with the characters. I had a different experience with The Lover, though. The author managed to explore the necessary dynamics swiftly and carry the story with ease. Although I was hoping for a bit more excitement or maybe a little more time spent with the protagonist and her foretold lover, I really enjoyed this read.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this edition in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed reading this. I had not yet read anything like this and its my first Silvia Moreno Garcia short story. Will definitely read more from them.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book! This was surprisingly my first book by this author. It was short sweet and to the point. I feel like it could’ve had so much more to it even though it was supposed to be a short read. It didn’t really keep me engaged and there was no shock factor or huge romance scenes. It was all kind of blah.