Blogger Bits: Novellas & Short Stories

Welcome to another segment of Blogger Bits! Blogger Bits is a feature that takes place twice every month. A few book bloggers and I get together and discuss random bookish topics! As always, I will leave the links to the other bloggers posts at the end of this post! Feel free to check them out! Also, if you are interested in joining blogger bits leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll be sure to share your link at the bottom of my post!

This weeks Blogger Bits is all about novellas and short stories. A novella is helpful for those readers who are looking for a quick, fun, and fast paced read and are unable to invest a lot of time in a full length novel. A novella ranges between 7,500 words (which is more of a short story) to 40,000 words and usually only takes an hour or two to finish. I have a love/hate relationship with novellas for one single reason. Usually when it comes to Novellas that I love, I’m left wanting and needing more from these characters and their lives. It never fails, the characters that usually get novellas in the series that I love are the characters that I’m most intrigued by. Okay that’s enough chit-chat, let’s get to my favorite novella picks and why I love these books so damn much.

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Novellas that kick off a series

One thing I love is when an author puts out a kickoff novella right before the release of the actual novel. This is a way for the reader to get a glimpse into the world we are about to be introduced to. Sometimes this is a great idea while other times it’s not so much. Usually a kickoff novella ends with a humongous cliffhanger and sometimes we have to wait months before the actual novel releases. This can be frustrating and a little overwhelming if you are an avid reader like me. However, If an author does it the right way and releases a novella a week before the release of the novel then I’m all in. Alright, enough rambling. Here are a few of my favorite Kickoff Novellas.

Too Easy (She Asked for it #0.5) by Willow Winters

T Too Easy (She Asked for It, #0.5) his novella is crazy intense and is the perfect segue into the novel She Asked For It! I unfortunately haven’t read She Asked For It yet but I plan on getting to it pretty soon. I can’t really say too much about this novel without giving anything away. Just know that if you plan on reading this novel make sure you have She Asked For It. It’s literally killing me not knowing! I also have to admit, this novella is a freebie on amazon and before reading the blurb, I 1-clicked this beauty for the intriguing cover.

Breaching The Contract (Conflict of Interest #1) by Chantal Fernando

Breaching the Contract (Conflict of Interest, #1) I consider Breaching The Contract as a novella. This novel kicks off the Conflict of Interest series and introduces us to some intriguing characters that we will see in the books to come. This novella is the story of a single dad and attorney Tristan and a new associate Katrina. If you are a sucker for single dad romances, like me, definitely pick up this novella!

Novellas that come in the middle of a series.

Sometimes an author throws his/her readers a curve ball and decides to throw in a novella in the middle of a series. This novella can either be a segue into the next book that easily connects the previous book or it can be a random and off the wall Idea because one of the characters won’t shut up and stop bugging the author. Either way, I love novellas that come in the middle of series. Usually these novellas are previously mentioned characters that I have found intriguing throughout the series. Here are my top picks.

Undone By You by Kate Meader (Chicago Rebels series #3)

Undone By You (Chicago Rebels, #3) This novella doesn’t release until March 5th but I had to add it. If you aren’t a fan of MM then I highly recommend you pass on this one. But, if you’re like me and are will to read anything romance, give this one a go! Dante and Cade’s story is a journey. This novella is a hard tale of self discovery and finding the inner strength to be true to yourself. Usually when a topic such as this is told in a Novella, I feel a sense of disappointment and wanting/needing more. This novellas ending gave me clarity when the final chapter came to a close.

Approaching The Bench (Conflict of Interest #3) by Chantal Fernando

Approaching the Bench (Conflict of Interest, #3) Okay, I know I’m being redundant and showing this series a ton of love right now but I have to give a shout out to this one novella. Approaching The Bench is different from the other books in this series. Trinity Williams has been nicknamed Medusa. She’s a tough bird and being the youngest Judge she has to be tough, it’s a job requirement. After Trinity and Callum end up being the victims of a failed abduction, the police come to a conclusion that the two must go in hiding. I could not get enough of this novella!!!

Novellas that finish off a novel

Last but not least we have the novellas that bring a series to a final close. Usually these novellas are snippets of the future we all as readers want/need. Craving a final glimpse into the character we love! Here is my pick.

A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire

A Beautiful Wedding (Beautiful, #2.5) * Spoilers for Beautiful Disaster ahead* A Beautiful Wedding is the perfect example for a novella. Unlike most novellas that come in the middle of a series, A Beautiful Wedding comes is a special little treat the author released after Travis and Abby’s story came to a close. This novella gives us the glimpse into the scene I literally craved for and that is the quickie wedding of Travis and Abby! This novella literally gave me all the feels and left me feeling very satisfied with Travis and Abby’s story.

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Thanks for swinging by and checking out my Blogger Bits post! Do you read Novellas? If so what’s your favorite? Before you go, don’t forget to swing by and check out the posts from my blogger buddies! You’ll get some great recommendations from these ladies! The links are below.