Written for Beyond Reading 
 4.5 stars. 
 After twelve years of eyeing and unfulfilled fantasies, Ali and Nate finally end up thrown together in the aftermath of Grigg's death - Ali's brother and Nate's best friend. Reading the blurb I sort of thought, "Oh, I know this plot - it's the 'she's-my-best-friend's-baby-sister-I-can't-touch-her' variety'." Boyo, was I wrong. I didn't take into account Julie Ann Walker's ability to manipulate the reader's emotions or just how deeply a character could feel - even from afar. 
 Nate, perhaps, topped my list of sexy heroes with his bad-boy image and hero propensity. It was too so easy to love him while he ran from his feelings for Ali like they were the bubonic plague but, in an instant, would risk his life to "make sure nary a hair on her pretty little head sustained so much as a split end" (from Nate's very own thoughts). Nate's extreme protectiveness - and denial - added a sense of humour to the book while, in the same breath, his darker emotions added a deeper sense of realism and a relatablity that can only come from an expression of sincerely-felt feelings. Ali was one of the cutest heroines I've read in a while - she was sunny and witty with deep-seated strength, despite her inclination to tears and releasing the contents of her stomach under stress. What I absolutely admired about Ali is that she accepted Grigg's death point-blank. In most books I've read where a death to a prominent character occurs, the writer avoids the situation as much as possible, sugar-coats it or allows the character to move on a split second after it occurs and la-di-da, someone died? Not the case with Ali. Throughout Hell on Wheels, she reflects on her brother's life, remembering him and shedding tears but staying strong enough to do what is best for herself - physically and emotionally. 
 Just like the hero and heroine, the secondary characters were all strong and identifiable in their unique personalities - unheard of in many books. Each secondary character was given traits, no doubt deliberately, that allowed the reader to create distinct images to connect with and to heighten the sense of realism. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to read from other character's meaningful perspectives (thought it did get a bit too busy) and, of course, catch a glimpse of In Rides Trouble, Frank and Becky's book (which I will be reviewing). 
 Overall, Hell on Wheels, was a shining example of everything a good, emotive book should be - it is only fair that I spend time praising Julie Ann Walker's gift with a pen/keyboard/whatever. What I did not like was that sad tidbit at the end and that, basically, only a few days had passed between the someone's-after-me-protect-me-Nate and the my-gosh!-we-love-each-other which left me, at the end, wondering what I read on all those pages - as typical of a thriller. That is oh-so easy to forget, though, when faced with such emotional engagement. Fantastic debut.