Handpicked by the unread team

We first meet Jack Stewart on his way back to his apartment in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as a jazz musician.As the novel unfolds, we learn of the difficulties he encounters, of the friendship he develops with George, his roommate—also a jazz musician—and the women he meets in the city. But more importantly, we learn of the very close relationship he has with his mother, who writes to him regularly from Southern Virginia. Through these letters and series of flashbacks, we come to understand Jack's background, the stifling environment he left behind, and his father's resen...

THE SUCCESSOR AND OTHER ODD STORIES, the latest offering from award-winning author Carlos Rubio, proves once again that he possesses a wide range of narrative scope. In this volume he has gone beyond historical fiction (Forgotten Objects), romantic fiction (Italian Tilt), satirical fiction (The Neophyte), to take a new direction. Each of the ten stories in this collection, all told in the first person, contains an element of the unexplainable, and every one captures the interest of the reader from the opening sentence. Echoes of Teotihuacán, one of the stories, was nominated for the Pushcart ...

Italian Tilt is a novel that goes beyond  exploring how Donald, the main character, finds romance and discovers a new culture while on a trip to Italy. It also deals with the nature of  personal  growth, the nature of friendship, as well as family conflict and reconciliation.

Bobbi and the Beachcombers is a joyful, moving, and beautifully illustrated interactive and musical picture book that brings children, adults, and classrooms together around one powerful idea: our beaches need our help, and everyone can make a difference.When Bobbi visits her favourite beach, she notices something isn’t right. Plastic is washing ashore, sea life is struggling, and the beach itself seems to be crying out for help. Instead of turning away, Bobbi takes action. Alongside her friends, she becomes a Beachcomber, learning that even small, simple acts can lead to real change.This bo...

BEING ECLIPSED describes women’s lives under the care of the Church and State in Ireland at the beginning of the mid-19th century throughout the 20th century. It gives an overview of women who had to turn to prostitution out of necessity in order to survive, and also on nuns who were put in charge of them under catholic church rule creating a double-standard. Women were treated as the “Social Evil” when they were not considered pure and innocent by State and Church. This ignorant behaviour let basically to failing women instead of protecting them within society.

The Coin of Forever When billionaire Jensen Statler accepts a coin from a beggar outside the Monte Carlo casino, he thinks he’s buying time. He’s wrong. He’s signing a contract older than the universe.The coin doesn’t grant miracles—it collects debts. And the moment it enters Jensen’s life, the world begins to tilt: mirrors lag, clocks lose seconds, and the city forgets him in patches. As the coin burrows deeper, Jensen is pulled into a cosmic audit where every regret becomes a creature, every lie becomes a weight, and every stolen heartbeat demands to be repaid.Far from him, ...

 A quiet descent into cosmic horror. When reality fractures around him, Elias is drawn toward a presence that doesn’t chase — it waits. Nyxalath is a story of identity unraveling, ancient inevitability, and the breach that finds you.Some fractures don’t appear in the world around you. They appear in you.Elias has spent years trying to outrun the quiet distortions in his life — the moments that don’t line up, the memories that feel borrowed, the sense that something is watching from just beyond the edges of perception. He tells himself it’s stress. Exhaustion. A mind stretched ...

A murder. A lie. A temptation neither of them can afford.When a powerful executive is gunned down inside his best friend’s luxury hotel, Detective Derrick Holmes is assigned the case.The only witness? A high-end escort who was never supposed to be in that room.Sonnet Jackson walked into the wrong suite and straight into a nightmare. She saw the killer. Worse…she knows him. Terrified for her life, Sonnet lies.Derrick knows it. He sees the fear behind her defiance. The secrets she’s trying to hide. And he’s determined to break through her walls, even if it means getting dangerously close...

Some secrets are better left buried. Others refuse to stay dead.Lily Sommers returns to Raven Ridge to bury her uncle and leave. Instead, she learns he was murdered.What should have been a quick goodbye pulls her into a web of small-town secrets and back into the shadow of her brother’s unsolved death.In Raven Ridge, silence protects the guilty and the past never stays buried.Luc Pearson was her first love. The one she never truly let go.Working the case together forces them face-to-face with everything they lost, and everything that still burns between them. What begins as shared history qu...

Three hearts. One impossible choice. Love written in blood.Ebony Jordan writes passion for a living, but she’s never truly felt it… until Drake Devereaux.Drake doesn’t do love. He doesn’t do forever. But Ebony slips past every wall he’s built, awakening something he can’t control and can’t walk away from.Then there’s Solomon Blackwell.Obsessed. Ruthless. Unhinged by a past he refuses to let die.When he sees Ebony, he doesn’t just want her, he claims her. Body. Soul. Eternity.Caught between the man who could save her and the one who would destroy the world to possess her, Ebon...

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Colonization Science Fiction - BookViral Book Reviews

 

This book, in a comprehensive manner, provides an overview of the challenges of increasing crop or agricultural productivity to meet the demands of a growing population, linking descriptions of physiological, ecological, biochemical and molecular activity in plants with their tolerance and adaptation to natural environments.In the case of plants, a stress is an adverse condition or substance that affects or blocks a plant’s metabolism, growth, or development. The threat to productivity in crops and agriculture due to these stresses cannot be overstated, nor overlooked, especially in light of...

Plants experience stress due to environmental changes, either in biotic or abiotic form, during their life cycle. Non-heritable modifications in morphological, physiological or biochemical characteristics tend to reduce or decrease growth and productivity, and sometimes lead to death.This book presents an exhaustive overview of the specific effects and modifications that could occur in this regard, and will serve to consolidate the ideas to promote standardization of plant adaptation to these changes in the environment. This book returns to the facts of both biotic and abiotic stress, detailin...

Plants are sessile organisms that are unable to move but face the challenge of ever-changing or adverse environments. The study of the development of environmental changes in tolerant plants is fundamental for the maintenance and streamlining of high crop yields and plant adaptation in natural environments. The identification of genes that lead to changes or stress tolerance is urgently needed for the growth and development of plants in their natural environment.The Secret of Plants in the ENVIRONMENT addresses environmental concerns such as the different types of stress situations and plant a...

ExCommunication is a novel about divorce, separation and starting again.Martin Prior thought he had it all. A thriving business he is about to sell, a family, and a stable if unsatisfying married life. But when he uncovers a shocking truth about his wife, everything crumbles.After a painful divorce, he escapes to Thailand, seeking solace among an enigmatic group of expats. Here, temptation lurks around every corner. As he navigates new friendships and desires, the secrets of his past haunt him.As he uses his telescope from the terrace of his new home to gaze at the stars, fulfilling a long-ter...

Patrick Smith is at rock bottom. A much-needed haircut leads him into a world of chaos when a shooting erupts in the Turkish barber shop. In a moment of panic, he grabs two bags filled with cash, drugs, and weapons before fleeing the scene. Now, he's on the run.The police are on a man’s trail, tracing the aftermath of a deadly crime scene, but who is the man that fled? The police have their own issues. A secret large-scale international investigation may be compromised. Corruption may be a risk.Meanwhile, a ruthless gang wants their stash back. JoJo Okere is dispatched by the gang to find ou...

A novellaAn almost true memory of a young man who has grown up on a small farm.The summer swelters, but the harvest is ready. A young man helps his farming father grapple with the weight of the tasks. The fields are dry and dusty, and the day-to-day struggles loom large. Yet amidst the dust and dirt, he sees Emily. She is radiant and apparently carefree while sunbathing nearby. Seeing her ignites a longing for something more than this life of hard labour. Can he break free from the chains of his reality? Will he find the courage to chase a future filled with hope?Harvest Girl invites you to ex...

A short story covering four people’s points of view.Mark King is a songwriter who secretly wrote a huge hit for the artist Louise Kline. She is a successful singer who claims to write her own material. Her half-brother Joel Kline helps to run a record company. He allowed the falsehood to continue. Joel chases wannabe pop stars and takes out escorts.One escort, Tamsin, meets Mark and there is a mutual attraction.Inspiration for songs for Mark comes from the events around him and the people he meets. He likes Tamsin. He longs for Louise.Following an attack by her current boyfriend, Louise is t...

 "MARGA," - The Alien Code, is an entertaining book that combines genres and takes readers on an exciting journey of discovery. Join us as we expose the hidden layers of love, history, and technology.*****She could not believe the love she felt for Stephen at the first sight of him.  Since then, as everyone said she was a cold woman without such feelings.Those who knew her would say she was only interested in science and research.  Neither men nor love affairs suited her.*****“Darling, I love you.  Will you be my wife?" I cannot live without youFor months she wanted to sa...

A Novella

Alex has everything. He's one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. He's chased by the paparazzi and once went out with a communist. Now he hides from publicity whilst trying to find a soulmate.

Victoria is a struggling waitress in a London restaurant. She shares a flat with Sophie, an aspiring actress whilst trying not to give up a dream of making a success. 

They meet and try to make it work in this contemporary romance.

A novella

She is a PA who dreams of running her own art gallery. He is an IT technician gambling away everything he wants. They meet and fall in love.

Their relationship is threatened by endless bets, even whilst they share their love of paintings.

Years later, some dreams are fulfilled, others are dashed. Will the former lovers meet again?

Ben Walker, The Count, faces the unthinkable. Helen an FBI Agent, vanishes while trailing three Russians who may be carrying out back-channel negotiations.She appears to be gone without a trace, except a bank card used in Recife in Brazil. Ben’s ordinary life shatters. Driven by desperation, he plunges into a world of danger, confronting ruthless Mexican drug cartels and shadowy Russian spies as he tries to find Helen.With alerted former intelligence allies at his side, Ben uncovers a web of corruption that runs deep. As he navigates treachery and betrayal, he won't stop until he finds Helen...

Ben Walker, the count, is off the grid, hiding because of what he took. A life in the shadows with covert military operations was terminated. He sought revenge. He tracked down the chain of command. LC is the man who tried to have him killed, but he made an offer to be a different type of hunter.

Now, Walker has taken information and money and gone into hiding. LC wants Walker and what he took. He will take extreme measures to get it.

LC has also disappeared. He is wanted too.

The hunters are now hunted.

Time is both ally and enemy as TID agents Brett Hostam and Krista Lysander leap into the past. Their mission? To unearth hidden truths buried in the chaos leading up to 9/11. The Russian TID has its own operatives, including a specialist GRU team called Zodiac. Why are they in the USA?The agents have to confront the enigmatic Russian GRU team known as Zodiac. They lurk in the shadows of the present, but with strange links to Krista’s secretive past. Krista's parents, who were once TID operatives themselves, hid their family in 1970s California. Sag, who might be a Zodiac team member, is ther...

A member of the Delta Force, Major Brett Hostam's new assignment is to a strange, highly selective training course. The academic and physical classes are challenging. Brett is known only as 2023-5C.Simone Harris, assigned the designation 2023-4D, is also training. She is seconded from the CIA.If they succeed, they will join the Temporal Investigations Department (T.I.D.). Several other candidates do not make it.Selection and capability are the key criteria. Most people cannot time-travel. Consequently, there are very few active agents conducting missions across the ages.A secret chamber transp...

Cathy Rodriguez is required to undertake a mission that only she can accept. Instructions from the higher power that had made contact with humanity. The meeting could change everything. As she prepares to meet the higher power, doubts linger about the AIs, the crew she has to accept, and all their true intentions.Leaving behind her lovers adds to the weight of her responsibility and the loneliness of command.The stakes are high: humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, along with the lives of the newly found alien species. With old conspirators lurking in the shadows, Cathy must navigate a web ...

The continuing story of Cathy Rodriguez - a Senior Observer in the Interplanetary Geographic Service.Cathy is recalled from her Observer duties as she is asked to establish first contact with a new life form. Meanwhile the Conspiracy to prevent humans changing their non-Intervention policy continues to try and kill her. Together with Marta De Jaste, a Senior Investigator, and Tony Briggs her former jailer and security officer, they travel to the chosen planet.On the planet Tullymeade, Karloon Niesta, a disgraced scientific observer, detects a strange anomaly. A discovery that will change his p...

Human Beings have expanded into the stars thanks to the benefits of 7D transportation. Life and planets are plentiful, intelligent life is not. A near Utopian existence for humans is supported by the dedication to various services. The Human Federation policy is one of non-intervention. Observe only, that is the mission of The Interplanetary Geographic Service.Cathy is an Observer in The Interplanetary Geographic Service observing the planet Fivur as an exceptionally rare convergence of moons and orbits creates massive tidal shifts on the planet's surface. Five years into her initial six year ...

Declan Williams is still running large parts of the European drug market, and the stakes have never been more significant. The cartel didn’t stop. Their corrupt police officer must be silenced before he does a deal with the police who arrested him. The police have detained more potentially disloyal members. They must be threatened.The cartel's actions, relentless grip and violent retribution forced a new investigation. Declan finds himself with newfound authority in the criminal underworld. But danger lurks at every turn.His beguiling wife, Astrid, is drawn to a Syrian refugee, Razan, traffi...

Intrigue, betrayal, and danger intertwine in The Case of Declan Williams.A young man flees a foster father he assaulted. He ends up in Ibiza. Declan finds employment in a nightclub but quickly becomes caught up in the Colombian Cartel's operations.Before she goes to the USA, Declan lusts after Jacinta and other girls. His role and tasks in the cartel continue to grow. First, he acts as a smuggler and then as an enforcer.The Cartel's deadly web spans from the cities and forests of Columbia to Ibiza, London, Manchester, and the financiers of Zurich. While navigating a treacherous world of drugs ...

A short collection of twenty-one stories

In these pages you will find other worlds, ghostly happenings, uplifting narratives, and absurd circumstances.
Twenty-one short stories, with varying lengths and a variety of themes, genres, styles, and points-of-view.
Easy to read. Hard to forget.

David is very good at persuading people whether it’s as a teenager at a shop checkout, or later as a car salesman. Then there are stocks and shares and financial wheeling dealing as his wealth builds. He can persuade the women in his life, but his relationships may not be real.What is persuasion and what is just good fortune? His morals may leave a lot to be desired but when serious illness strikes he has to reconsider his actions. A tale of greed, insider trading, love, and misfortune, that spans the globe. His persuasive ability brought him success, but at what cost? Whether he is in his N...

To The Survivors is a science/fiction dystopian novel about a catastrophic pandemicAn apocalypse threatens human kind. A highly infectious, lethal, genetic, virus is detected that attacks mankind and mammals. The Government must act, and whilst the authorities struggle to find a cure, they have to plan for the worst. As the disease spreads it is not clear how many will, or will not, survive, nor what the survivors will have to do to live. They will have to cope with their grief and loneliness before they can attempt to rebuild society. They will need to find water, food, shelter, and power and...

In a world where perception often eclipses reality, ‘Dissemblance’ invites you to unravel the tangled web of a family forever altered by the echoes of past events. Set more than a decade after the tumultuous events chronicled in ‘Semblance of Storms’ and ‘Re-Semblance,’ this poignant narrative unfolds through the eyes of Milly, a young girl at that time whose innocence was shattered by the tumult surrounding her.Now a voice that demands to be heard, Milly reflects on the events affecting her family, a complex tapestry interwoven with mental illness, the glittering allure of celebri...

The lies and actions have caught up with him. He’s banished from the beds of his lovers. They tell their own stories now.The ramifications of his actions continue, even while he remains caught up in the activities of the authorities. He faces his legal and personal punishments with self-guilt. He has a new home waiting for him on Emerald Isle. There are new babies and there is a continuing need to hide the parentage of one of them. He is trying to resolve the issues until tragedy strikes once more. Now, he’s fighting for his life and trying to recall his past. His lovers and...

All that is required, by his publishers is to write a fourth book, not like the flop that was his third. His successful first two books bought him fame, some fortune and disputes with his terminally ill father. He wants his son to help with his half-sister. If only her mom, wouldn’t give confusing messages on what she wants; possibly him. A family friend and lawyer will help, as he always has done but there are secrets in his past too.His new book will be a tale of boy meets girl in his usual elaborate and descriptive style. His agent, wants him to produce it soon but he has his own pressure...

In the shadows of betrayal and vengeance, the Russian bear awakens, targeting the architects of operations and their defecting fugitives in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The Russians, driven by a burning desire for revenge after their failures, set their sights on those they believe have wronged them inside and outside Russia. The UK's security services and the architects of the Enez operation find themselves in the crosshairs. The Russians dispatch teams to execute their deadly plans.Amidst the turmoil, Hugh and Michelle continue to hide, far away from the yacht and house that were once the...

Despite the declared end of the pandemic, there are still threats to the UK, particularly from Russia. Friends from across the Atlantic who like to meddle continue to track and follow the shadowy financing team supporting the UK’s security services. They assured the UK they would not, but disparate agencies in the USA have different agendas.Michelle and Hugh Turnbill are now married. They still manage MI5 and MI6's clandestine funds. They occasionally sail around the Greek Islands with the Harper sisters or stay at their new house in Mykonos. They desire a normal life but are aware that caut...

Captain Tom Larring barely escaped alive from a mission in Afghanistan. He now has another task. Effi Miani has been undercover in the Middle east but is needed for the same operation. Together they must find Bravo-One-One, who is the highest priority target for MI6. He is believed to be building a chemical weapon in Northwest Pakistan. A previous MI6 operation has already failed. A leak or a traitor inside MI6 may have destroyed that mission, so extra precautions must be taken otherwise this team will also fail.Tom and Effi need a faultless backstory before embarking on their mission. The ope...

An old MI6 undercover mission to prevent terrorists entering the UK via sex trafficking routes went wrong. The undercover agent is assigned to a new role.A man lost in the shadows manages the hidden finances of the security services but dreams of a better life sailing the Mediterranean. When he runs off he is hunted, but he may have been killed by an organised crime leader. The police are assigned to find him.Two sisters run away to Greece from the sexual abuse of their father. The characters intersect as the hunt commences. Then the security services need to find options to deal with the fall...