Blood of Yarumaya — Kevin D. Miller

She wanted an adventure to save her future. What she found could change the fate of humanity.Isabella Bryn Delgado thought a research trip to the Amazon would breathe life into her failing Master's degree in botany—and give her one last shot at salvaging her gymnastics scholarship before her injured knee gave out for good. Far from Stanford's campus and the chaos of Palo Alto, she just wanted a quiet jungle escape. No pressure. No balance beam. And no more awkward run-ins with her soon-to-be ex.But the man who was supposed to supervise her internship—reclusive microbiologist Dr. Dominic Quinn—is nowhere to be found when she arrives at his remote field lab. Alone in one of the most dangerous ecosystems on Earth with no contact to the outside world, Isabella soon realizes she's been dropped into more than just a science experiment.When a mysterious man claiming to be Dr. Quinn finally appears, he brings with him secrets buried deep in the rainforest: an uncharted tribe, a sacred tree called Yarumaya, and a miraculous resin that may hold the secret to human longevity. But the trees are dying—and the tribe's survival is in danger.As Isabella and Quinn race to uncover the cause, they find themselves tangled in a web of ancient rituals, vanishing ecosystems, and a connection neither of them expected. But some secrets aren't meant to be shared. And some discoveries are worth killing for.Blood of Yarumaya is a pulse-pounding eco-thriller about love, legacy, and the dangerous line between scientific discovery and cultural exploitation.