vk011

Displays posts with their featured images from a specified category in a responsive grid using a simple shortcode.
Easily show and display posts from specific categories using a simple shortcode.
After installation simply go to Settings > DCP Lite to find the plugins page with the shortcode options.
If you require more features, there is also a premium version of this plugin, Display Category Posts Via Shortcode Pro.
You can see the extra features it offers on the Settings > DCP Lite page.
Some of those features are:
<ul>
<li>Pagination</li>
<li>Ability to add character limit to your posts which automatically adds the “read more” link at that point, instead of adding the “read more” break yourself to each and every post.</li>
<li>Ordering of the posts</li>
<li>How many posts to show in a row (2,3 or 4)</li>
<li>Ability to turn post titles into links</li>
<li>Ability to turn posts’ featured images into links</li>
<li>Show date</li>
<li>Add “load all” ajax button which loads all the posts at once</li>
<li>Fetch posts from multiple categories</li>
<li>Fetch specific posts regardless of their categories</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arbitrary section</h3>
You may provide arbitrary sections, in the same format as the ones above. This may be of use for extremely complicated 
plugins where more information needs to be conveyed that doesn’t fit into the categories of “description” or 
“installation.” Arbitrary sections will be shown below the built-in sections outlined above.
<h3>A brief Markdown Example</h3>
Ordered list:
<ol>
<li>Some feature</li>
<li>Another feature</li>
<li>Something else about the plugin</li>
</ol>
Unordered list:
<ul>
<li>something</li>
<li>something else</li>
<li>third thing</li>
</ul>
Here’s a link to <a href="https://wordpress.org/" title="Your favorite software" rel="ugc">WordPress</a> and one to <a href="http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax" title="Markdown is what the parser uses to process much of the readme file" rel="nofollow ugc">Markdown’s Syntax Documentation</a>. 
Titles are optional, naturally.
Markdown uses email style notation for blockquotes and I’ve been told:
<blockquote>
Asterisks for emphasis. Double it up for strong.
</blockquote>
<pre><code><?php code(); // goes in backticks ?>
</code></pre>

Display Category Posts Via Shortcode Lite

Displays posts with their featured images from a specified category in a responsive grid using a simple shortcode. After installation simply go to Se …

Mazinger

Another posts widget plugin
<ul>
<li>Support http://www.arb4host.net</li>
</ul>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Day range.</li>
<li>Multiple Styles.</li>
<li>Category filter.</li>
<li>Order by date, most commented, most viewed or random.</li>
</ul>

Display Category Posts Via Shortcode Lite vs Fancy Posts Widget