Novellas — Have any knocked your socks off lately?
I talked about this last year, and listed a few of my favorite (paranormal) novellas — the kind of novella that I loved so much, I’d have bought the anthology just for that, and thought it was worth the money. They were:
- “Fairies Make Wishes, Too†by Maggie Shayne — in A SPRINKLE OF FAIRY DUST (like a fairy Little Mermaid)
- “Everything She Does Is Magick†by Maggie Shayne — in BEWITCHED (Virgin Hero would have sold me on this, anyway)
- “A Dream of Stone and Shadow†by Marjorie M. Liu — DARK DREAMERS (read this one recently; the voices are incredible. *happy sigh*)
- “Roarke’s Prisoner†by Angela Knight in SECRETS VOL. 2 (I remember thinking: shit. this is what I want to be writing.)
- “Love’s Prisoner†by MaryJanice Davidson in SECRETS VOL. 6 (The elevator scene isn’t for everyone, but works for me.)
- “The Nekkid Truth†by Nicole Camden in BIG GUNS OUT OF UNIFORM (and it’s even in first person, which I’m usually kind of squiggy about in romances)
- “The Night Owl†by Emma Holly in HOT BLOODED (the hero is just…yeah. And the heroine, too. But it’s so sweet how he’s tongue-tied around her. Awwww.)
- “Dark Journey†by Anne Stuart in STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT — about Death, and a little holiday that he takes.
Since then, I’d add to the list with Patricia Briggs’s “Alpha and Omega” in ON THE PROWL and Kresley Cole’s “The Warlord Wants Forever” in PLAYING EASY TO GET, Nalini Singh’s “Beat of Temptation” in AN ENCHANTED SEASON … okay, and I know there are others, but my memory is not-so-good, and I sucketh at the record-keeping. (Also, I haven’t read as much in the past year as in previous years. The anthologies in my TBR pile are almost as high as the single-titles.)
So are there any out there that you think are worth the price of the entire anthology? I’ve listed paranormals only here (I fudged a little on “The Nekkid Truth”) but I should also compile a list of my favorite contemporary and historical novellas at some point — but feel free to mention novellas in any genre.
It’s more a short story than a novella, but I’d recommend “Dead Man’s Chest” by Rachel Caine in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. It’s about pirates. Loved it and the follow-up story in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon so much that I bought the first book in her Weather Warden urban fantasy series to try.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like anthos are more of a fantasy/paranormal thing. I can’t think of a single historical antho off the top of my head, other than the one that has Lady Whistledown in the title and features Julia Quinn and some other authors …
I don’t know about lately, but one of my all-time favorites is “Originally Human” by Eileen Wilks from the Cravings anthology. ::adores!::
And I second Rachel Caine’s story, “Dead Man’s Chest.”
I’d say Vicki Pettersson’s ‘The Harvest’ in HOLIDAYS ARE HELL was pretty amazing. And talking of that anthology, Marjorie Liu’s ‘Six’ was fabulously gritty with superb world-building. :bmww:
oooh your list has many of my favs too plus some I shall be checking out! and how about Mad Dog Love by Angela Knight in the Shifter anthology (she’s royalty and he’s a shifter protecting her), or Wolf Moon by Nora Roberts in the Moon Shadows anthology (he’s a vet and doesn’t blink an eye when he meets her werewolf side).
“Falling for Anthony” is a favorite
Seriously, I think he’s still my favorite Guardian.
I’m with you on Emma Holly’s “Night Owl” and in Marjorie M. Liu’s “A Dream of Stone and Shadow” (Charlie has to be one of the best heroes ever, period.)
However, I’m usually very harsh on novellas
so I don’t read as many.
Fave historical novella: Loretta Chase’s The Mad Earl’s Bride. Linda Howard wrote a fabulous paranormal about a reincarnation romance, where the hero and heroine keep dying together because they don’t trust each other, would have to look up the name. The Guy Diet in the new Blaze anthology What I Did On My Summer Vacation is awesome for contemp.
Charlene, the Linda Howards’ novella is “Lake of Dreams”
Must Love Hellhounds has some interesting stuff in it.
I heard it’s pretty good.
Marjorie Liu’s novellas are good. I read this great one about an angel named Selah not too long ago…
Oh oh oh – I loved loved the Patty Briggs Alpha/Omega novella. Here’s hoping that the full-length book has some super triple-x throwdowns or this girl is going to be disappointed.