Reviews and Comments

Hannah Steenbock

HannahSteenbock@bookwyrm.social

Joined 3 years ago

German indie author, dragonlover and dreamer. Writing Fantasy in English. Supports the Underdog, loves feel-good stories.

Me on Masto: @firlefanz@writing.exchange

(Yes, Buehsteppe Verlag is my own little business that I need for tax reasons.)

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Kellen Sinclair: Once Upon a Time (EBook, JMS Books LLC)

Once upon a time, Jeffrey fell in love with his best friend, Tamlin.

Jeffrey …

Sweet Friends to Lovers Romance

It really is a comedy of errors - two friends who are so considerate of each other that they completely bungle their confessions of love. Definitely a fun read, even though I wanted to bang their heads together a few times.

I especially enjoyed Jeffrey's love of books, being a bookworm myself. I totally understood his rage when the incompetent store worker sold a special edition. And that's all I will spoil.

Oh. If you love Princess Bride, you should definitely read this book. hehehe

Hannah Steenbock: Sequoia (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

Max is a treehugger, and proud of it.

There's a beautiful, young sequoia in …

This is the first book I ever self-published.

It's also my first queer book, almost by accident. You see, Max refused to reveal their gender. It was a bit of work to keep gender out of the story and the description. Did you notice?

Even so, it's a cute little book about a hole in the fabric of nature. A hole that Max must fix before they can go home. Together with an old shaman, Old Man Bear, Max does their best to work on it, with surprising results.

commented on North Shatters by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #4)

Hannah Steenbock: North Shatters (EBook, Buehsteppe Verlag) No rating

North Deer won’t fight her destiny. But someone else will.

Every Wind dies on …

Sweet, sweet North. When I started out, I had the same vision she has - but then Varden showed his true colors. It was fun to develop all the plot twists after that, leading up to a climax that does include her vision.

North led me to discover a second culture on the continent where the Empire sits, and that in turn pushed the vision I have for the entire series into a new level. That was amazing to experience - a series half writing itself behind my back.

commented on East Roars by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #3)

Hannah Steenbock: East Roars (EBook, Buehsteppe Verlag) No rating

East Roars

East Lion is angry.

Angry at the Priests, angry at his …

East. Oh, poor East. I really put him through a lot, and he always reacts to hardship with anger. Such anger!

It takes him a long time to look beyond his anger and actually find love. In fact, he becomes the most important side character in Earth Splits - the slowest romance subplot I've ever written.

commented on West Flows by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #2)

Hannah Steenbock: West Flows (EBook, Buehsteppe Verlag) No rating

West is lost in a world he barely understands.

When West Whale realizes he …

I love, love, love West. And I'm not alone in this opinion, he's a readers' favorite. Enough reason to bring him back into several of the sequels.

I will say that West surprised me a lot by being gay. My first openly gay character, and yes, it gave me pause to write him, not because I have a problem with people being gay, but because that was new territory for me to write.

Then I decided that love is love, and from then on, it went really well.

commented on Sun Burns by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #7)

Hannah Steenbock: Sun Burns (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

A power out of control. A Pillar in the hands of a Priestess. A deadly …

Sun was difficult to write. His grief for his best friend Moon was so palpable, his bewilderment at the world at large so massive.

Eventually, however, in hardship and pain, he found his strength, his confidence, and yes, love. I will say that even I didn't imagine where those led him in the end when I started his book.

commented on Sky Falls by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #6)

Hannah Steenbock: Sky Falls (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

A daring escape. An unlikely ally. A wicked betrayal.

When the day of his …

I adore Sky. He's generally cheerful and he was fun to write. And he was the first Pillar to drag a fellow house member with him - Writer Brain insisted on it.

Now, there are secrets surrounding his West (Estar) that I plan to reveal in a later book. Also great fun!

commented on Earth Splits by Hannah Steenbock (Winds & Pillars, #5)

Hannah Steenbock: Earth Splits (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

A dangerous secret. A desperate love. A terrible fate.

Earth Bear is a Pillar, …

Yes, this tale continues a little romance that started in Book 3 of the series, and that's all I will say about that.

Earth's story gives you insight into life in a House, especially the awful months before the Winter Solstice, as they all try to deal with the fact they will die. That was difficult to write, but I believe it adds a certain depth to the entire series.

commented on A Wolf's Mate by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #9)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Mate (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

A traumatized hacker. A Wolf in love. And massive denial everywhere.

Once again, Lucky …

I just had to tell this story. I mean, Heather insisted on helping Lucky, and I couldn't let the poor guy suffer on his own. So I threw him into the deep end, to which he reacted with adamant denial.

It takes a while to break through his mental walls, and even then, Lucky insists on fighting everything and everyone to keep his Heather. And I won't spoil the biggest surprise for him, either.

Let's just say it was fun to research the wild hogs in Arkansas and the village I based Heather's pack in. So many possibilities! (And I'm not done telling stories about this pack...)

commented on A Wolf's Hacker by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #8)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Hacker (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

A Wolf mired in guilt. A Hacker lying low. A Rogue and a Tank facing …

I love redemption arcs, and Shane's was a joy to write. (Remember Shane and his zoo from A Wolf's Peril? Yep, that guy.) It's always great to discover a good side in someone, and Shane has certainly learned his lesson (and paid in blood and pain, too). I came to really like him and Dylan. And so did the Asheton pack.

commented on A Wolf's Christmas by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #7)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Christmas (EBook, Englisch language, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

Fred’s little cousin in Germany is in dire need of help.

When Fred receives …

It took me two years to get back to the Wolves, but I wanted a Christmas story - and I knew there was something between Mark and Fred. So this is their story.

For fun (and because I established earlier that Fred's family has roots in Germany) I took them to the region I come from (I grew up in Göttingen). In fact, if you look very closely, the tower from the background of the cover is from a photo I took, in the town where this book takes place.

commented on A Wolf's Quest by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #1)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Quest (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

Ben McMullen is a wolf on the run.

While his father is drawing off …

This is the first of my Wolves of the South series.

It started out as a trilogy (insert maniacal laughter) about three wolf shifter siblings fleeing their home after Hunters found them and started a mini-war, with their father sacrificing himself to cover his kids' escape. Ben is the oldest, and he's supposed to find a new home for all of them.

I will freely admit that in this book, I was still finding my feet in the Wolf Shifter world. One thing became very clear very quickly, though: My Wolves like their privacy. No explicit bed scenes in this series. Also, no alphas (I hate that trope with a passion), unless they are villains.

If you like your romance sweet, your adventures fast-paced, and the endings happy, this series is for you.

commented on A Wolf's Peril by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #6)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Peril (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

Val McMullen emerges from hiding and must find out what happened to her family.

I had to get Val back, I just had to. For her kids, and for closure. Who I didn't quite see was Dan. Grumpy, grieving, unhappy Dan, in over his head. And then I stumbled onto Shane and his zoo, and that... opened a lot of doors.

commented on A Wolf's Fight by Hannah Steenbock (Wolves of the South, #5)

Hannah Steenbock: A Wolf's Fight (EBook, Buehsteppe Fantasy) No rating

Olivier Baillard lost his job, his home, and almost his life. And becomes something he …

Truth is, I hadn't planned Olivier's story either. He's not truly a nice man in Wolves 4, but the glimpses I saw of a tormented man intrigued me. And then Alice stepped into the picture, and I just had to find out how these two would match... I think it turned out well, even if I say so myself.

reviewed Hilda the Wicked Witch by Paul Kater (Hilda the Wicked Witch, #1)

Paul Kater: Hilda the Wicked Witch (2018, Independently Published)

A fairy-land witch is transported to our world as a mishap makes a spell blow …

A Fun Read!

Hilda is great fun. In this book, she deals with a motorcycle gang - in a very unique way. Definitely worth a read.

(Also free in all stores, so don't hesitate!)