[Blog Tour & Giveaway] Misplaced By Lee Murray & Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Skye’s Mountain Blend

Title: Misplaced
Series: Standalone
Author: Lee Murray
Publisher: Leapy Sheep
Publication date: December 1st 2013
Page Count: 282 pages
Age Rating: New Adult (brief mention of gore, explicit sexual scene)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a copy to review
Purchase: Amazon

Dream cars have no registration plate…

One evening, Adam’s mum pops out for the milk and doesn’t come back, launching a frantic nationwide search. Yet after weeks with no leads, the television crews drift away, the police start asking hairy questions, and Adam’s dad starts seeing someone else. Adam’s life is falling apart. But then he meets Skye, who it seems has misplaced a parent too, and things start to look up. That is, until a body is found…

My Review

Misplaced is the story of seventeen-year-old Adam as he deals with the aftermath of his mother’s sudden disappearance. It’s a poignant look into the life of someone dealing with a loved one gone missing – from an inkling that something’s wrong, to filing a police report, to pleas of a safe return featured on the news and newspaper articles, and then, later, trying to come to terms with the fact that this is really happening and there’s nothing anyone can do to bring that loved one home again.

Written from the third person POV of Adam, Misplaced is extremely well-written and just brimming with voice. There’s no real action scenes, but the tension is high and the book is hard to put down. Watching Adam trying to deal with everything that has happened, and getting first person glimpses into his head as he struggles to find sleep while anguishing over missing his mother, feels so real and authentic that it’s heartbreaking.

The supporting characters play an important role in Adam’s path towards coming to terms and healing. When Adam starts to act out it is his support system of key school personnel, friends, and family that keep him sane and pull him back on the right track. Not the least of these is Skye, who Adam feels an immediate attachment to. There may be a little transference as Adam channels his missing his mother into empathy for Skye and her missing parent – a father who left her and her mother before she was born.

I don’t normally read this kind of book, but Misplaced was so skillfully written that I really found myself drawn in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future.

While Adam finds great support in his friends and family, it is Skye who provides the greatest level of connection and comfort for the teen boy and helps him to rise above his sorrow and find some happiness. I recommend Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Skye’s Mountain Blend – a dark roast with a taste and warmth to it that’s a bit like a deep raspberry wine, this blend is the perfect “comfort” coffee for when you need to just block the world out for bit and find some temporary relief.