Jessica Skye Davies - Town Man, Country Man Banner

Hi guys, we have Jessica Skye Davis stopping by with the cover to her upcoming release Town Man, Country Man, along with the gorgeous cover Jessica lets us have a peek at an excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! ~Pixie~

Town Man, Country Man

Jessica Skye Davies

“Town man” Josh Douglass meets “country man” Ben Bauer at a mutual friend’s wedding, and passion kindles immediately. As urbanite wedding planner Josh and closeted contractor Ben spend more time together, they develop a deep, comfortable romance despite the fifty miles between their homes—and despite the drastic differences in their lifestyles. But as they grow closer, it becomes apparent that Josh and Ben have been enjoying the first flush of love without giving much thought to longer-term logistics.

A crisis leads Josh to ask himself serious questions about how his relationship with Ben can realistically work. But just as Josh is feeling ready to talk about the next step with Ben, a misunderstanding threatens to put an end to their love affair. Compromise is the key to any relationship, but it isn’t always easy to balance careers, friendships, and family expectations. Josh and Ben just need to see that bringing together the best of both their worlds is well worth the sacrifices they’ll have to make to remain in each other’s lives.

Release date: 20th July 2016

Pre-order: Dreamspinner Press

Jessica Skye Davies

It is an honor to be featured today at MM Good Book Reviews. “Town Man, Country Man” is my fourth published work, and the first which I have set in my hometown of Pittsburgh. I’m excited to share the gorgeous cover here today as well as a sneak preview excerpt.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Jin Park-Robinson & Sergei Robinson

May 31, 2014

Institutionalize Homosexuals—Support Gay Marriage!

“Is it indecent to open the wedding favor at the wedding?” Dante asked me, fiddling with the mini bottle of pinot noir with the wedding label on it.

“There’s an open bar, Dante.”

“Do you know what gay weddings and straight weddings have in common?” Dante drawled.

I suppressed an eye roll and sipped my gin and tonic. “Bridezillas.” That meant nothing against the present happy couple. Both Serge and Jin were too well grounded for any such nonsense.

“Open bars, Joshua. They have to have open bars to keep the guests from clawing their own eyes out.”

“Maybe instead of fighting for our rights to get married we ought to do the charitable thing and use our influence to liberate the straights from their oppressive institution.”

“Hey, that’s an idea!”

“Well, you start the movement and I’ll attend all the fundraisers.” I patted Dante’s shoulder.

“Is that Jin’s sister?”

I stared at Dante. No need to glance around the lofty, gilt-limned sanctuary-cum-ballroom for someone who resembled Groom A. I’ll leave out the psychosocial analysis on getting married in a garden and receiving guests in the grand chapel of a (former) monastery. Desanctified churches are a Pittsburgh specialty. “I know you didn’t actually ask that.”

“Well I don’t know. Women all look alike to me. Forget that. Now, what about the guy who looks like a construction worker?”

Now that, I did look around for. Following Dante’s gaze, I spotted a guy standing by one of the purple up-lit transept columns. Not to put too fine a point on it, but he was built like a brick shithouse and the suit he was wearing emphasized his physique rather than hiding it. Think Daniel Craig with broader shoulders and David Beckham’s close-cropped, sticky-up hair.

“Gotta be somebody on Jin’s side. I’ve never seen him and I’d definitely remember that.”

“Maybe he was around when you were still with—”

“No. I’d have remembered.”

“I’m empty. Get me more?”

“Dante, they’re going to think I’m an alcoholic.” I picked up Dante’s glass and headed toward the bar beside the former altar.

“Yeah, but they’d know I am,” Dante called after me.

Stepping up to the bar, I ordered another gin and tonic and a virgin Bellini.

“That’s probably the first time anyone in this room has uttered the V-word in at least fifteen years.”

I looked up to see beside me the construction-worker type Dante had pointed out before. I’m five ten, so this guy had to be six two. I told myself to play it casual. “Yeah, no kidding. More like twenty for some of us.”

“Ben Bauer,” he said, offering his hand.

“Josh Douglass,” I responded, accepting it. “Are you a friend of Jin’s?”

“Serge. He and I went to college together.”

“He always said he hated college. No offense.”

“None taken. We both hated it. Kind of for different reasons, but it’s still why we were friends.” Ben had a cute, lopsided smile to go with that earth-shaking jawline. “You?”

“I know him from one night when Dante and I were hopping all the same bars as him. He was on his own and didn’t look very used to clubs.”

“Dante’s the virgin?”

I almost choked on my gin. “That’d be the day!”

Ben grinned. “I meant the virgin Bellini.”

“Oh… yeah. He doesn’t know it, though. He thinks he’s getting shitfaced for free. Social experiment, really.”

Ben smirked. “Power of suggestion, huh?”

“Exactly,” I said, glad he appreciated my twisted sense of humor.

“Well, nice to meet you. I’ll let you get back to your partner before he tries to pick a fight with me. Fights happen when people get tanked up like that.”

“Oh he’s not my partner, we’re just best friends. I can only stand his presence a few hours a week; no damn way I’d be with him!” I leaned in toward Ben a bit, emphasizing the point and, hopefully, also emphasizing my absolute availability.

“Jesus Christ, who do I have to blow to get a drink at a gay wedding?” Dante called out, sauntering toward the bar.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Anybody but me, jag-off. Here. And, please, one does not pound a Bellini.”

“What kind of lowlife do you take me for? And you haven’t even introduced me to your nice friend. Hello, Nice Friend. I’m Dante and he’s rude.”

“Hi, Dante, I’m Ben. And, actually, I’m probably the one who’s going to be rude because I think I have to steal your friend for a few minutes,” Ben said with an encouraging smile. “I kind of really like this song and I’m hoping he’ll dance with me.”

I smiled back at Ben and set my drink aside. Moving to follow Ben to the dance floor, I saw Dante mouth “Edge of Glory?” at the bartender before downing his Bellini and gesturing for another.

“You’re fun!” I said above the music as I danced with Ben.

He leaned in close to my ear. “You’re cute.”

I moved to dance closer. “What are you doing after this party?”

“Just driving back home. That’s not set in stone, though. What do you have in mind?”

“Where’s home?”

“Near Grove City.”

“Yeah, mine’s definitely closer.” Allow me to explain something. The fact I had to cross one of the rivers to attend this wedding reception and Ben didn’t technically makes his place “closer” in Pittsburgh terms. Even if his is fifty miles north of here and mine is five miles east. I went over a bridge to come over here! We really are that insular.

“Sound like you’re in a hurry,” Ben said, stroking my hip.

I flashed him a grin. “I might just be on the edge of glory.”

About Jessica

Jessica Skye Davies has been a writer since her first works were “published” in her grandparents’ living room and written in crayon. Jessica is a lifelong native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she has been active in the community, including serving as library director on the executive board of a local GLBT community center. Outside of writing, Jessica has a wide range of interests and hobbies: from Mozart in a music hall to punk in pubs, from Shakespeare to Vonnegut, from salsa dancing the night away to afternoon coffee in the square to kicking back with a good movie. She loves meeting new people and exploring new places, always open to whatever elements might inspire her next writing project.