Unraveled

Unraveled (2003) is the second novel in author C.J. Barry’s series of erotic romance novels set in a science fiction universe, UN-Forgettable. Each novel features a standalone plot, although characters from previous and future books appear in minor roles, giving the works the feel of a more lived-in world. Nevertheless, because the focus of the novels is much more on the main characters’ romantic and sexual connection, some readers complain about inconsistencies in world-building. Unraveled follows the adventures of two treasure hunters forced to work together despite their mutual antipathy: a privileged scientist on the make and a rough and tumble former scavenger trying to leave that life behind.

Twenty-nine-year-old Tru Van Dye has grown up in a colony of Majj scientists. Unlike most people who become members of the Majj Institute, Tru has yet to prove herself—instead of being invited to join the prestigious organization based on previous accomplishments, Tru has been granted temporary status because of her father’s achievements as head of the Institute and because she was born on the Institute’s grounds. The colony’s other residents have viewed this nepotism askance, and Tru has been hard-pressed to get any respect or encouragement. Now that her 30th birthday is rapidly approaching, and she has yet to have made the kind of scientific discovery that typically precedes obtaining a Charter, Tru has only a few months to pull together something spectacular. If she fails, the Institute will kick her out: Majj culture values perfection above all things, and so far, Tru has not managed to live up to that standard.

Fortunately, she knows exactly what she must find to pin the Majj crest onto her uniform—artifacts from a no longer extant civilization that her father had been hunting his entire life. If the legends are true, then she will uncover a treasure horde left over from a race of beings who had prized art and culture above all things until their society imploded. Unwilling to see everything destroyed, a few of them collected as many objects as they could and hid them. In her father’s work, Tru has found the key to uncovering this long-lost hiding place.



The problem is that Tru doesn’t have permission to leave Majj to find this treasure, nor does she have a legal means of doing archeological salvage elsewhere. To get around this setback, Tru hires Rayce Coburne, a former smuggler well known for his treasure hunting exploits.

Rayce spent his youth in what could politely be called unauthorized treasure acquisition—looting valuable antiquities. However, after years of dealing with hypocrites like the Majj—scientists who would pay him covertly for his efforts, and then publicly decry what he and his fellow scavengers did—he has decided to quit the business. Instead, he is pursuing a new dream: turning a beat-up space station into a luxury space resort. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time and money to get an enterprise like that off the ground, and so far, he has put in so much time and borrowed so much money that he is in deep trouble. Creditors are making increasingly threatening demands to get their funds back and the whole venture could fail before even getting started.

The only reason Rayce decides to accept Tru’s offer is to bilk as much money out of this spoiled woman as possible. Or at least, that’s what he tells himself until he connects with Tru over a virtual reality program meant to shield each of them from the other. Nevertheless, even in virtual space, there is something about the uptight Tru that starts getting to Rayce right away. He realizes immediately that because she is smarter than him, he won’t be able to outmaneuver her, so he develops a new strategy—each day, he will find a way to give her a kiss, hoping to addle her faculties with desire.



Rayce and Tru begin their epic quest through the galaxy, hopping from planet to planet in a search for clues that will point them in the right direction. Along the way, they run into a variety of antagonists eager to make sure they don’t succeed: It turns out that both treasure hunters have a steady supply of enemies hell-bent on foiling them.

Along the way, Tru and Rayce are unable to resist their mutual desire. Their sexual chemistry flourishes both in virtual space and in real life, no matter how hard they both fight it at first. Rayce’s easy, fly by the seat of his pants attitude helps Tru lose some of her Majj-imposed inhibitions. She confesses that unlike most of her kind, she appreciates the unique flaws of everything she encounters rather than deriding them as imperfections that must be eradicated. In turn, Rayce opens about where his hatred of the Majj really comes from—he blames them for the death of his sister years earlier. If it weren’t for the terrible risks the Majj are willing to let desperate treasure hunters take, Rayce believes his sister would still be alive. But his hatred of the Majj is compounded by the fact that he feels a lot of guilt over not being able to protect and save her.

In the end, after learning the likely final resting place of the treasure, Rayce and Tru battle to the top of a pyramid where their quest is completed.