Sixty-Five Hours by N.R. Walker

Narrated by Nick J. Russo

N.R Walker’s Sixty-Five Hours is a cute, fluffy and very sexy antagonists-to-lovers story that centres around two advertising executives who are given the job (i.e. they’re voluntold) of coming up with a campaign to woo a potential new client in, yes, you’ve guessed it, just sixty-five hours.

Lucas Hensley has worked at Fletcher Advertising for six months, and for all of that time has received only scowls and the cold shoulder from the “gorgeous, fucking arrogant, sonova bitch” in the office across the corridor, the boss’s son Cameron Fletcher. When he’s summoned to a meeting at which only the two Fletcher men are present, Lucas isn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly isn’t to be offered the opportunity to work on a pitch to land an account that could be the making of his career. It turns out that the largest manufacturer of “lifestyle products” (i.e condoms, lube and sex aids) in the country is looking to change their agency – and Fletcher has managed to secure a meeting with the company’s top executives. The downside – Lucas and Cameron are going to have to work together on creating the pitch, and they’ve only got sixty-five hours in which do to it. Being sequestered for the entire weekend with stuffy, pompous Cameron Fletcher is a far cry from the way Lucas had envisaged spending his weekend.

So, that’s the set-up and we all know where things are headed, but it’s an entertaining journey nonetheless. As the weekend progresses, Lucas starts to realise that Cameron isn’t an arrogant arsehole, but that he’s kinda sweet and maybe a bit shy – and finds out the real reason Cameron has been so frosty towards him; he’s closeted for fear of disappointing his father, and being cold and aloof around Lucas was the only way Cameron could be without revealing how strongly attracted to him he was. Lucas’ irritation dissipates quickly, and as they work together and share meals and stories, he starts to see the real Cameron, and to admit that the attraction is very much mutual.

Both characters are thoroughly likeable and they’re a great fit. Lucas, the upbeat, larger-than-life ‘this is me – take it or leave it’ type, full of southern charm (complete with imaginary hat-tipping) and sweet, slightly stuffy Cameron with his geeky cartoon socks.

It’s a light-hearted easy listen, but there are quite a few suspensions of disbelief needed. For one thing, I’ve worked in advertising and I don’t remember any account execs doing things like photography and video editing, and for another at the scene in the bar, we’re told Lucas is lightly buzzed after downing SEVEN shots of scotch. Now, I don’t drink scotch, but even I know that seven shots should have landed him flat on his back, and as for Cameron, who, we’re told, isn’t much of a drinker – surely he’d have passed out after four! And while I enjoy a steamy sex scene as much as the next person, they’re all packed into the last few chapters of the book, so it’s really sex-heavy at the end and I couldn’t help feeling that some could have been omitted. The earlier scenes at the club and afterwards, in Cameron’s kitchen, are insanely hot and they’ve still got their jeans on; I’d happily have traded a couple of the sex scenes for more like that!

Nick J. Russo is a narrator I always enjoy listening to. He’s consistently good, delivering performances that are well-paced, well-characterised and clearly differentiated, and that holds true here. Most of the book is a two-hander with just Cameron and Lucas in most scenes, but the few secondary characters – male and female – are all appropriately voiced, too. The star turn is Mr. Russo’s portrayal of Lucas, complete with a distinctive (and consistent) southern drawl that absolutely exudes self-confidence and perfectly captures his warmth, charm and humour. Cameron’s more measured, softly spoken speech aptly conveys the character’s vulnerability (as in the moment he confesses his love for his cartoon socks and why he wears them). The connection and chemistry the author has created between the two leads comes across clearly in the performance and the sex scenes are really well done – Mr. Russo is one of those narrators who knows how to turn up the heat without going over the top ;)

Sixty-Five Hours is a relatively short listen, coming in at just under five-and-a-half hours, but it’s five-and-a-half hours of delightfully romantic and sexy fun. Nick J. Russo’s lively performance is a definite inducement to pick up this one in audio, and I’m happy to recommend it.

Caz