Virtual Book Tour ~ And It Came To Pass by Laura Stone (Review, Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour~ And It Came To Pass by Laura Stone ~ (Review, Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Summary

Adam Young is a devout Mormon whose life is all planned out for him, by both his strict father and by his church. He follows the path they’ve established for him, including going off to his mission to Spain with mission companion Brandon Christensen—a handsome, enthusiastic practitioner of Mormonism. But as their mission progresses, they both realize they have major questions about their faith... and substantial feelings for one another.

AND IT CAME TO PASS ~ EXCERPTS

      “You’re quiet back there,” the Mission President said, catching Adam’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Tired?”

      “A little,” Adam answered. “Mostly it’s just…” He nodded out the window. “Overwhelmed by it, I guess?” 

      “It’s a beautiful country. Beautiful people, too. Family-oriented, like we are. These should be two of the best years of your life, son.” 

      Adam smiled weakly and sank back into his seat as the two men up front continued their discussion all the transfers happening in various districts. He pushed his fist into his churning belly and strained to see the ocean as they wove through traffic. 

      All of his life, his friends, family and church leaders had spoken of how amazing this moment would be, how life-changing this experience was for those who answered the call to serve. His friends had been laser-focused on how much they were looking forward to becoming missionaries; Adam had always smiled and nodded but never with the same zeal. Over and over returned missionaries spoke with passion about how they were overcome with emotion the first time they heard the thousands of missionaries at the MTC singing “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” in unison. For Adam, that experience had just been a reminder that there was something wrong with him, because instead of feeling overwhelmed with the Spirit, he’d felt like a failure for not. 

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As Christensen walked behind Adam to switch on the clippers, Adam shivered, closed his eyes and tried to stop the repetitive battle between thoughts of how this was wrong versus how desperately he wanted Christensen to get on with it. He wanted something to happen. 

      All thoughts were driven out when Christensen laid a strong, firm hand between his shoulder blades to hold Adam still while he worked. Everything, every thought and feeling, and heck, the very universe was centered on those minuscule points of contact between Christensen’s hand and Adam’s bared skin. Adam chanced a look after a while but shut his eyes again when he was confronted with his companion squatting directly in front of him, squinting at Adam’s sideburns to ensure they were the same length. Christensen’s breath moved over Adam’s lips, they were so close. He kept his eyes screwed shut; his heart beat a wild tattoo in his aching chest. 

      Christensen’s hand suddenly cupped the side of Adam’s neck, and, at the shocking sensation of a thumb sweeping softly over Adam’s pulse point, he let out a tiny gasp. 

      “Oh, my gosh,” Christensen said, his voice worried. “Did I nick you?” 

      “Hmm? Oh, no, no, sorry. It’s fine. You’re fine.” 

      Christensen laughed. His voice was still soft as he teased, “Oh! So, you’re just afraid I’m doing a bad job?” 

“N-no?”

      “Then relax. You look like you expect me to punch you.” He patted Adam’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze. “Just need to taper this bit in the back and you’re all done.”

      Christensen rubbed the palm of his hand over Adam’s head to dislodge any hairs. The friction centered itself in Adam’s skull, radiated in sensual ripples down his spine, then settled low with a pulse to match Adam’s heartbeat when Christensen leaned over to blow a few pale blond strays off the backs of his ears. Adam’s skin stippled with goose bumps. Was he imagining it? Was Christensen making an extra effort to get things just right, making sure every possible stray hair was carefully blown away or brushed off his neck and shoulders with the flat of his hand, merely in order to keep touching Adam? Or did Adam just hope so?

And It Came to Pass will be published by Interlude Press on May 18, 2017. Connect with author Laura Stone at laura-stone.com; on Twitter @StoneyBoBoney; and on Facebook at facebook.com/9LauraStone.

4.5 Stars!!!

Adam Young is sent to Barcelona for his mission trip and when faced with his new mission companion, Brandon Christensen, he finds himself questioning a lot of things that he's always taken for granted, like his faith and his sexuality. 

I have read other books in which religion plays a prominent role, although none of them have been focused on the Mormon faith and I loved being able to immerse myself in this new world for me. 

The first half of the book is mostly a description of what goes on in these missions, which was quite eye-opening. I've seen the Mormon missionaries here in my country, I think we even had them visit us at home once when my brother and I were in our teens, and as a predominantly Catholic country, I could see a lot of what was featured in An It Came to Pass easily happening here as well, so I could relate. 

The second part was more romance and plot-driven, with some angst thrown in for good measure. 

(This part contains spoilers, please hover over the blank space with your mouse or click copy/paste on your phone if you want to read them.) I loved seeing Adam's awakening, the angst of not being sure what to think of his growing interest in Brandon and the uncertainty of his feelings ever being reciprocated, then the illusion of that first love when they give into their attraction and the fear of what would happen if they were discovered. It was all very realistic and I really appreciated that. I loved Adam and Brandon, they had great chemistry and despite their young age, I can see them making it in the long run. The love they felt for each other was palpable and they were both sweet and hot together. 

I absolutely hated Adam's parents, his father especially, who couldn't have been more different from Brandon's parents. 

This is a slow-burn romance, told from Adam's POV, although we do get Brandon's POV in the last chapter. It's well-written, very descriptive, with a nice, very organic progression. Definitely a must-read and another hit for Laura Stone!

Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Interlude Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

   

AND IT CAME TO PASS by Laura Stone

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Laura Stone, author of And It Came to Pass.

Hi Laura, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello! I'm so excited to be here talking with you about my book. Thank you for the opportunity!  This is my third novel with Interlude Press, and I just want to gush over the cover for a moment. One of my fellow authors offered to dress her college students up—they earned extra credit, I'm happy to say!—and take a sample picture of what I was hoping the cover would be, then sent it to Interlude's book designer and graphics guru, CB Messer. When she sent me a proof, I honestly choked up. It's everything I could have wanted.

Growing up LDS (Mormon), the church's logo on grey granite was everywhere, on our church buildings and temples, on our books and lesson guides, and I think everyone recognizes those guys on their bikes with the white shirts and name tags. The cover serves as a sort of "calling card" for other members or even ex-members to know what the book's subject is..

This novel started off almost ten years ago as a short story I'd written for a cousin who was deeply in the closet because of his father. My family is Mormon—Handcart and pioneer-Mormon—and the Mormon church is not okay with acting on "homosexual feelings." (Don't get me started on their stance regarding transpeople, or I'll rant and rave.) The idea in the Mormon church is that you must be straight and have children. Or, you know, at least live that way if you're not. They went so far as to state in November of 2015 that if any members are gay, they can't act on it. Not ever. And if you have children and are gay, your children cannot be baptized as members of the church unless they renounce you after they become adults.

It's been pretty devastating for many church members, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, it's also led to an absolutely frightening spike in LGBTQ suicides, and the youth are particularly vulnerable to a sense of hopelessness and wrongness. Utah currently has four times the number of suicides than anywhere else in the nation, a fact that utterly breaks my heart.

I think we all agree here that love is love is love. It was important for me to write this book to serve as a beacon of hope for the many LGBTQ Mormons out there who have yet to see themselves with a happy ending or even a hopeful one. It was crucial for me to include a family who takes their son's coming out in stride and stands behind him. As the mother of three LGBT kids, I've seen first-hand how damaging it is for the opposite to happen. (And if I may, I'm just so proud of my kids. They've given me the courage to come out, myself.)

We need diverse books, as we all know, and that includes books that show that there are those in LGBT communities who have belief in a higher power and who also have full romantic and sexual lives with a partner. It's not crucial that you're Mormon to understand and engage with the story, but there is a world that often lives in secrecy… in many ways.

I hope you'll take a chance and follow Adam Young and Brandon Christensen on their journey to becoming their true selves: Young men of God, gay, and in love.

Book Tour Rafflecopter Giveaway 

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About the Author

Laura Stone, a descendant of pioneer polygamists from the early days of the Mormon Church and a former Gospel Doctrine teacher, now keeps busy as a media blogger, ghostwriter and novelist when she’s not raising her youngest child.

While the majority of her family still lives in Utah, she resides in Texas because it’s where the good tamales are. Her first novel, The Bones of You, was published by Interlude Press in 2014 and was named a finalist for a Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book of the Year Award. Her second novel,  Bitter Springs, was published by Interlude Press in 2015.

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And It Came to Pass will be published by Interlude Press on May 18, 2017. Connect with author Laura Stone at laura-stone.com; on Twitter @StoneyBoBoney; and on Facebook at facebook.com/9LauraStone.