Hell on Wheels

Black Knights Inc., Book 1

By: Julie Ann Walker

Narrated by: Abby Craden

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Black Knights Inc. - Behind the facade of their tricked-out motorcycle shop is an elite special ops team assigned the jobs too hot for anyone else to handle.

Ex-Marine Nate "Ghost" Weller is an expert at keeping his cool - and his distance - which makes him one hell of a sniper. It's also how he keeps his feelings for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she's his best friend's baby sister ... and totally off limits.

Ali's never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley - or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she's in trouble. First, something happened to her brother, and now she's become the target of a nasty international organization. With Nate, her life is in the most capable hands possible - but her heart is another story altogether.

©2012 Julie Ann Walker (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"In her riveting debut, Walker delivers a mystery laced with red-hot romance." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Horrible, uncomfortable narration!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book itself to someone, but absolutely not the audible version. It was absolutely miserable. I ended up reading the book instead of listening to it.

What did you like best about this story?

The book had action, adventure, suspense, romance and humor. It was intense!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's idea of identifying the voices of the different characters was to do a high pitched, childlike squeaky, baby voice for the heroine and a growling, grunting whisper for the hero. It was so horribly uncomfortable to listen to that I ended up reading the book and never getting even 1/4 of the way through the audio book. The narrator's voice was pleasant and enjoyable when she was reading actual text. It was her attempts to distinguish the speaking parts with different voice patterns that detracted from the book. I thought that perhaps I was being unreasonable, since this was my first audio book purchase. So, I brought the audio in and played it for several friends. All reactions were the same...horribly uncomfortable to listen to. A childlike baby voice for the heroine??? And a serial killer's grunty whisper for the hero??? This book should be re-recorded or removed from audio publication completely. If there was a way to give it less than 1 star, I would.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

If this narrator is used for future books, please advise her that her speaking voice is pleasant enough to carry the book without trying to do voices specific to the characters.

i really like this book.

What made the experience of listening to Hell on Wheels the most enjoyable?

I would listen to this book again. I can't wait for the next book. Very good

Good enough to want to read another

My first time reading Julie Ann Walker ever, this book is Good enough to want to read another. I hope she can keep my interest in books to follow.

Batman is that you?

The reader's only option for male voices appears to be Batman with varying levels of gravely roughness. This makes an otherwise good book nearly a joke. If I hadn't gotten this at a discount for owning the kindle version I would have requested a refund. Don't waste the credit, get the kindle version and enjoy that instead. never this reader again.

Tconno

story was very good but I didnt like some of the voices the narrator used at times

Seemed like a YA book with cursing

Book would have been fantastic without the blonde (main character) who acted like a 16 year old. She was 28. The dialogue with the other characters was entertaining. I think the narrator needed some help with the deep, low, quite voice. She made him sound like a smoker on a ventilator. Ali (main character) was thinking to herself WAY too much. It became distracting and frustrating. I skipped many of her monologues.

Ali ruined it for me, otherwise it was really good. The story progressed at a nice pace. The side characters brought comic relief. I do want to read about the other characters. I won't be reading this one again.

Disappointed in narrator

The story was good and the characters strong but the whole point of audible is to listen and enjoy. I had a very hard with the voices the narrator used for the men. It made the whole book a disappointment. I like the author though so in the future I will just buy the book or at least make sure I hear a sample first before I purchase another read by this narrator

It was okay

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes and no. I wanted to know what happened in the book. I don't like to just quit reading.

If you’ve listened to books by Julie Ann Walker before, how does this one compare?

It's okay. Maybe I need to take a break because the characters are getting on my nerves.

Did Abby Craden do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes.

Did Hell on Wheels inspire you to do anything?

Nope

Any additional comments?

I can't tell you how fed up I was over the main characters, Ghost-Nate and the female. I can't remember her name and I don't care. She's worthless!

good story

enjoyable story...however TOTALLY agree with the prior reviews about the narrator...she read the female role fine...but the male parts were horrendous...she made them sound 80 y/o

Entertaining

What did you love best about Hell on Wheels?

It kept my attention. I would listen to others in the series if the narrator does better on the female voice(s).

Did Abby Craden do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did a decent job differentiating all the characters, however she made the heroine sound way too winey.