I have previously heard of this author and was excited to receive an ARC by her. This book was great and I look forward to exploring more books by this author.

Judith is a young woman who longs for love and companionship, but fears she will never find it as her sister, Alice, has always been revered as the “pretty one”. When two strangers arrive in their village during the brutal winter, one a hunter and the other a vagrant, Judith thinks that the handsome hunter may finally be the man she has been waiting for. However unexpected turns occur when the hunter ends up wedding Alice instead. Heartbroken and confused, Judith continues to have complicated new relationships with both newcomers and finds that not everything is as it seems.

This was my first read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and I instantly understood the hype of her writing. The story was lush and vivid and the setting felt very much like an old fairytale. Since this was a novella, I didn’t feel super attached to the characters individually, but the overall story was written beautifully and I can definitely see myself picking up more of her books as I know she has quite a backlist of titles.

This was exactly my brand of dark, weird supernatural-ish fantasy romance that just works for me. I absolutely loved my time with this little short story. I have already revisited it. I would love to see more along these lines from Moreno-Garcia.

A wonderfully gothic, dark fantasy with elements of horror and romance mixed in. A fun and interesting short story by one of the best authors.

A short folklore or dark fairytale like read that I had much fun with. It reads very easy, and since this was my first read from this author, I can say that I really liked her writing style.

If you like fairytale or folklore style stories, and you want to try this author’s writing, I recommend this.

Going into this I didn't know it was going to be about adultery, which is a subject I usually avoid.
I'm glad I didn't know, because I would have missed this excellent and sharp novella.

Reading it was like everything around me disappeared and I was feeling and breathing the story.

The Lover by Silvia Moren0 -Garcia combines everything I love about this author, a clever, haunting and thought provoking story combined with beautiful writing. Even in such a short piece I found myself savouring the author's skills and like all the best stories, it left me wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the arc of this amazing short story, in exchange for my honest review.

Of course I had to read this one. I love the author’s books. They are a bit slower but so well written and enjoyable.

Judith has always been treated as less than her beautiful but lazy older sister Alice. Judith lives with her sister, doing so much for her but she secretly despises her. When a stranger comes along one day, a handsome hunter called Nathaniel, Judith falls in love with him. But he soon marries her beautiful sister.

Judith escapes a lot to a small cabin in the woods and soon meets Nathaniel there for more than just talking.. She doesn’t realize at first that he’s using her and lying to her. I thought Nathaniel explained the title of this book but no, something supernatural does, which leads to an incredibly satisfying and unhinged ending.

A stunning, dark reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. It is a quick read but offers up the depth of detail one would expect from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I was haunted by the situation the main character finds herself in, and will be thinking about this for days to come.

Continua a me impressionar como as histórias que a Silvia escreve são envolventes, diferentes umas das outras e sempre surpreendentes (mesmo quando você, leitora, desconfia do rumo).

Esse conto não é diferente. Que delícia de narrativa, de ritmo, de personagens! 😮‍💨

Sempre muito bom ler Silvia ♥️

#TheLover #NetGalley

This was a very good short story and it had you hooked from the beginning. It is a dark fairytalewith some supernatural elements to it and I loved it. It didn't have too many details to bog the story down and it flowed ni Ely and I was deeply Entangled in this story! So good!!
I just reviewed The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. #TheLover #NetGalley
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Nope. I wanted to love this but I just couldn't. I literally picked this up and stopped it 4 times. I did not want to DNF as it was an ARC and a short story so I figured I would power through it... but I just had the hardest time. I didn't love the writing, I didn't like any characters, and the story was just boring to me.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for a copy of The Lover!

"During a brutal winter, a young woman longing for love finds more than she expected in the woods."

Damn - this shit was crazy. I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and her ability to pack imagery in 43 pages!!!

Dark and enticing fairy tale! The problem with a short story is that sometimes it's just not enough and leaves you wanting more of it!

For how short this story was, it certainly packed a punch. I find myself thinking about it long after having read it. A little fairytale that reels you in and does not let go. I honestly wanted more by the time I got to the end and wanted to live in this little world (and that little hut) forever.

A fabulous, sexy turn on a fairytale, full of detail and observation. This is an ideal tale to read--or teach--alongside Angela Carter, Charles Perrault, and T. Kingfisher.

This short story is the first I have read from this author and I am very interested in reading more. This was definitely something dark, however I love how it resonated with me as a gothic fairy tale of sorts. I liked the presence of the wolf and the hut in the middle of the forest. The idea that Judith's love will come from the forest adds some extra magic. This was definitely a short read, but a good one. There are not a lot of authors that can create what she did in such few words. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,

Thank you, Netgalley. The Lover was an unexpected enjoyment for me. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I would recommend this book to others. I love a short story that is very well fleshed out. The writing is very atmospheric.

The Lover is a wickedly short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It tells the tale of Judith, a young woman who longs for love in a harsh winter, but finds more than she bargained for in the woods.

Judith lives in a small village with her sister, Alice, who is the pretty one and the object of everyone’s admiration. Judith feels invisible and unloved, until a handsome and gentlemanly hunter arrives in their village, seeking shelter from the cold. Judith hopes he will be her lover, but he chooses Alice instead and marries her.

Judith is heartbroken, but soon another stranger comes out of the woods, looking like a vagrant. He offers Judith something mysterious and enticingly strange, a secret that he shares only with her. Judith is drawn to him, despite his uncouth manners and appearance. She welcomes him into her life, in a different way than the hunter.

As the winter storm rages on, and a wolf prowls around the village, Judith, Alice, and the two men are caught in a web of forbidden desires, jealousy, and danger. They all have their own hungers, but will they be satisfied by the spring thaw?

The Lover is a dark and twisted fairy tale, with elements of horror, romance, and fantasy. Moreno-Garcia creates a vivid and atmospheric setting, where the cold and the snow are almost characters themselves. The story is rich in symbolism and imagery, exploring themes of beauty, love, lust, power, and identity.

The story is well-written and edited, with a fluid and engaging style. Moreno-Garcia uses a third-person limited point of view, which allows the reader to follow Judith’s thoughts and emotions, but also keeps some mystery and suspense. The story is short, but it packs a lot of punch and emotion. The ending is satisfying, but also leaves some room for interpretation and imagination.

I would give this story 4 out of 5 stars, because I enjoyed it a lot, but I also wished it was longer and more developed. I think the story has a lot of potential to be expanded into a novel, where the characters and the plot could be explored more deeply. I would recommend this story to fans of Moreno-Garcia’s other works, and to readers who like dark and sensual stories with a touch of magic and mystery.

Wow!!! Don't be deceived by its length of 43 pages – this is one deliciously wicked read. The prose is SO lush and beautiful, bringing the story, setting and dialogue all to life. The author also nailed the essence of illicit relationships and loving someone you can never have. I just loved the descriptions of everything and could empathise with Judith deeply.

Also, that ending!!! 🤌