The Lover

A Short Story

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrated by: Nina Yndis

During a brutal winter, a young woman longing for love finds more than she expected in the woods, in this wickedly sensuous short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

Judith knows her sister, Alice, is the pretty one—but that doesn’t stop her from wishing for love. When a handsome and gentlemanly hunter appears in their village, seeking lodging from the cold, she believes her lover has finally arrived. He does, indeed, choose to stay—but as Alice’s husband, not her own. When another stranger comes out of the woods, looking every bit a vagrant, he offers Judith something mysterious and enticingly strange. Against reason and decency, she welcomes both men into her life, in different ways. As forbidden longings ensnare each of them, an unrelenting winter storm and an evasive wolf on the prowl have everyone on edge…and ravenous. By spring thaw, will any of their hungers be satisfied?

©2023 Moreno-Garcia Books, Inc. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Nina Yndis narrates a bewitching short story about a girl named Judith, who longs for adventure and romance in her quiet life.… Listeners hear the thrill in Judith's voice when a handsome stranger comes to her village—and her devastation when he marries her sister. Yndis captures the quiet menace in the voice of another stranger who arrives in town—one who doesn't have the hunter's charm but is mysteriously compelling.… Yndis's light Norwegian accent and engaging voice will draw listeners into this atmospheric tale.”—AudioFile Magazine

Great performance, interesting story

This was a unique and interesting short story. The whole plot and ending was very morally grey and thought provoking.

Short and sweet

Absolutely loved this short story. I love fables, and fairytales, folklore etc. I can see a graphic novel about this story.

cute

Love the revenge aspect . It is best served cold. Would like to have the opportunity to use this option.

A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling

A great retelling of a classic tale, this story has you guessing throughout its short read which ones are the true monsters in the story. I guarantee that this is worth reading and listening to again and again.

(Note: I'm currently in a position where I'm constantly analyzing stories I'm reading, so forgive my innuendos of story breakdowns).

Beautiful and alluring

Wonderful listen will keep you entertained and in a little fairytale of your own while you rest, do laundry or sit outside and enjoy the forest like the main character

Loved it❣️❣️

Perfect ending for a cheating husband that takes advantage of a mistreated-unloved young woman. Short but Well Worth the listen❣️

The end was confusing

I like that this female character is intrigued by the dark and chooses to go into it instead of being afraid.

loved it

short, dark, fantastic. I love Ms. Morenos books! this one was great. I loved Judith and thought Alice was awful. I was a fan of the stranger and the end was perfect.

Really Good

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

I really liked this book! It was a little confusing to me but I did enjoy it. I really liked the characters Judith, Nathaniel, and the stranger. Also this is a short story.

The narrator Nina Yndis was so amazing! I absolutely loved her voice! She did amazing as all of the characters!

Release the extended cut (pretty please)

The narration was fascinating. The narrator herself clearly has talent and depth, and is great with accents. I did find the jumps between accents somewhat distracting, but I also thoroughly enjoyed both her natural and character voices. I love the story, and would be interested in an extended version.