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In one day, young TAMARA goes from being the king's favorite, his first born and much-loved thirteen-year-old daughter, to having her father brutally murdered. Then she's trapped by a time spell where no one hears her screams. Once she'd finally freed, she's determined to stay that way. So, when she turns eighteen and her mother attempts to marry her off for "her own good," Tamara is having none of it.

However, is going on a quest across realms to find her lost nephew the best plan? She'll meets marauding giants and wily talking lizards. She'll have to face spirits who should know better than to leave their graves and resurrect memories best left buried. Most important of all, she'll have to come to terms with her greatest weakness, or strength, depending on her point of view. All the while, in the stillness a danger lurks that could destroy the rest of her family, and perhaps even her entire world.

For once, will Tamara be up to the task of being the one to save the day?

WARNING: There be dragons here...so wear your best chainmaille and carry a hefty sword before you dare flick open that first page.

345 pages, ebook

Published April 10, 2018

12 people are currently reading
62 people want to read

About the author

Shereen Vedam

41 books366 followers
Once upon a time, USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure.

Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.

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5 stars
32 (66%)
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13 (27%)
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2 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for E.A..
951 reviews27 followers
April 23, 2018
Hushed (Tales of Ryca #2) by Shereen Vedam was an epic tale of dragons, magic and self-discovery.

Wow, wow, wow.. What a story, I devoured this book, and I need more! The world building was magically detailed. The journey was well paced and the plot stayed on point. It followed a realistic time line, with realistic emotions and character growth. I easily connect with the characters, even though I didn’t read the first book, there was enough background where I wasn’t lost or confused.

I need to go back a read the first book, just so I can know more about the Royals tragic past.

Tamara, she grew on me fast. At first I wasn’t to found of her attitude, and her self-destructive behaviour. But as the story moved on and I got to know more about her and her past, I felt like I was reading about an old friend. Her character growth was immense. Starting out closed off, suffering from PTDS from her time trapped in a time spell. Resentful of her family, and her father, of everything. But her love for her family pushed her out of her comfort zone and made her brake down those walls, and forced her to grow up and widen her tunnel vision. Though is book is told in dual POV, it was Tamara's story that stole the show.

This book is well worth your time and energy. It’s has everything you want in a epic fantasy, and so much more.. oh did I tell you there’s dragon? .. There. Are. Dragons!

Take my high recommendation that you will get swept up in this magical otherworldly tale, and you not want to come up for air.

Happy Reading.

-E.A. Walsh
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.7k reviews360 followers
August 7, 2019
Tamara has had a rough time of things. Losing her father at a young age, then trapped by a time spell where no one could hear her cries of help, these were traumatic events that shaped her young life. It convinced her of one important thing – no one would control her life going forward. And it made her a very difficult young lady to deal with. So when her mother, Mamosia, Queen of Ryca, tries to invoke that very controlling thing of forcing a marriage, she rebels. Then the amazing adventure starts!

When her nephew gets snatched up because of her actions, Tamara decides to go after him. But things don’t work out as well as expected since the chase from realm to realm leads her to magic and encounters with all sorts of monsters, dragons, and giants, always moving toward self-discovery and a fate laid out for her. As if the overwhelming creatures alone are not enough, someone is after her who wishes her harm! She can either become the hero warrior who saves the day, or she will be destroyed along with family, friends, and perhaps everything around her! Can she make a difference? Can she succeed against these odds? Can she rise to her destiny?

This was an enjoyable story, fast-paced and easily able to hold the reader’s attention. The characters were well-described, with their thoughts and emotions displayed to the reader to make it all seem more real. Grab your copy and enjoy Tamara’s journey. The twists and turns will take you to some new insights as she grows into the person she was meant to be.
6,022 reviews45 followers
August 5, 2019
Unlike her brother and her mother, Tamara was not suspended in time while waiting to be freed by a righteous rescuer - eventually her middle sister. Tamara sadly endured 30 plus years torture by the mad usurper to her parents’ throne, and a complete inability to do anything- not even move or look away.

Why Tamara and her sister do not wish to let the queen know what happened is a mystery to me. The queen was quite upset when awakened from her own spell, but queen she is. She should be told of the horrible decades of experience Tamara now has behind her. Perhaps then the queen might cease to treat her like a child.

Across realms and dimensions, Tamara finally discovers her skills and a true love. But that does not bring her to the end of her journey. Wars and battles of many kinds must still be fought. Tamara can finally embrace that she is no longer alone.

Powerful KU saga!

I received an advance copy of this book from Booksprout. I read it on Kindle Unlimited.
2,887 reviews17 followers
August 3, 2019
While she loves her family, Tamara also resent them sometimes, every one of them was born with powerful magic abilities. To top it all off, her mother has issued an ultimatum, find a suitable husband, or one will be chosen for her. Tamara is confined to the castle, but when her young nephew disappears, she will decide to search for him with her niece in tow. She will encounter giants, dragons and talking lizards, oh my!

On her quest to save her nephew, Tamara will also discover her strengths, and the identity of the evil entity responsible for the corruption of the magic of Ryca. Wow, I love Ryca, and the generations of characters that inhabit this world. Fascinating, and sometimes funny, action, magical abilities. Fantastic creatures, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. I loved this book, and hope for more Ryca adventures in the future.

I am voluntarily leaving an honest and non-incentivized review of this ARC.
Profile Image for HiddeninmySoul FanFiction.
33 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2018
I was grateful to have received an ARC copy of this book, in a week where I desperately needed to escape my real world for a while and was captivated from the get go.

This author is new to me and I have yet to read the first book but I'm pleased to see that when it was mentioned this could be a stand alone it did indeed deliever and it was the references to the past that have me extremely intent on reading the first book.

Hushed delievers a strong connection to it's heroine while also allowing similar to supporting characters and its intriguing to picture all the different worlds mentioned within this one book and see that it never dropped or felt like the author hadn't seriously thought about what they wanted to project. To see not only a growth within Tamara as a person but also that with her family and a budding romantic connection had me interigued. Highly recommended.
1,918 reviews18 followers
March 3, 2022
Tamara does a lot of growing up in this book. The only 'magicless' royal, this novel begin with Tamara acting out like an adolescent screaming, "I am TOO grown up". As the novel progresses and Tamara begins to see from other perspectives and to take responsibility for her actions, she develops and grows into a truly formidable woman capable of taking on dragons. It helps that she learns to see what a real helpmeet is, instead of falling for men who can deceive her into believing them malleable and controlling her through manipulation. This young adult novel shows that learning from experience can be great teaching (if you are open to learning) and growing up can be hard as you make it despite bad experiences.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,140 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2019

Queen Mamosia gives her daughter, eighteen year old Tamara, an ultimatum to marry Gideon, a rich merchant, or find a suitable man to marry in his stead within five days. She is found before any thing untoward happens by her mother with Thyel, a man she prefers to Gideon. He is banished immediately from the kingdom and she is banned from leaving the castle.

Tamara and the queen are interrupted by Siara, her older sister, with the news that Beven,her 9 year old nephew, is missing. She is joined by Skye, her thirteen year old niece, Bevan's sister, in Siara's bedroom. The Chief Councilor of Erov, Jarrod. appears looking for Siara and when told of the missing Bevan goes to help in the search.

There are many twists, turns and surprises before tha tale concludes. This is an excellent book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
341 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2019
This was my first brush with reading fantasy and I enjoyed it. I selected this book to read due to my enjoyment of the cozy mysteries by Ms. Vedam. The transitions between the realms and each character in each chapter was seamless. The imagery that is painted with every scene actually made me feel as if I was watching a movie. Being that I picked up the 2nd book in the series, I did not feel as if I missed a lot so I was able to fill in missing information based on the information that was revealed throughout the book. I'm sure that others will thoroughly enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for D. Messing.
381 reviews5 followers
July 17, 2018
This was an excellent read! The world building is top notch, the word crafting is exceptional, and I loved the twists and turns! The story starts off slow, and I do have to say that Tamara irritated me crosseyed for the first half of the book, the role of whiney, petulant teenager was heavily featured until events forced a change of attitude. By the end of the book, the story had a nice pace, and had that nice hook that sinks in and doesn't let you go! Very solidly written and a fantastic afternoon getaway from real life! Thank you for the opportunity to review this work!
16.6k reviews155 followers
April 10, 2018
it took just one day to have her life changed forever. her father was murdered and she had been his favorite. now she is stuck in a time trap. then she is able to escape and her mother decides to marry her off. she decides to run and find her nephew instead. will she cope? why do it? can she do it? see by following her journey

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Diane Rapp.
Author 18 books111 followers
Read
May 20, 2018
Appropriate for young and old!

Tamara learns to control her fears, re-connect with family, and discover her true talent. This is an inspiring novel appropriate for young and old. I had not read the first in the series but it didn't matter. This one told me enough to be satisfied and this part of the story was complete in one book. Highly recommended to fantasy readers, especially those who love DRAGONS!
Profile Image for Lorella Piras.
202 reviews10 followers
September 25, 2018
I thought the first book in this series was amazing, but this one was even better.
Without spoiling anything, I love the passion and the depth of feeling the characters have.
I love the entire concept behind the series and the characters are incredible. Just so relatable, lovable, hateable...well really everything you could want in a series. Not to mention completely unpredictable!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ashley .
1,150 reviews4 followers
April 10, 2018
I really enjoyed this second book in the series. Vedam does a great job with the character backstories and emotions they evoke. I really could related with this main character and happy that we got to explore her more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,279 reviews6 followers
August 5, 2019
The adventure continues with the focus on Tamara, one of the children trapped in the queen’s protective spell. The plot twists and weaves in some intriguing elements about the history and the historians who keep the records.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
5 reviews
July 9, 2019
Get ready for another trip into Shereen’s wonderful fantasy world. I loved the interaction of the characters as the plot unfolds. Didn’t I mention there are dragons. What is not to love about this intriguing tale? I highly recommend both books in this series.
Profile Image for Lady The Owls.
389 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2019
I am so sad to an ending of a great story. I was in tears during part of it and on the edge of my seat at others. Well written with wonderful world build and fantastic characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for James Haydon.
68 reviews
August 9, 2019
Cool series with enough twists and turns to keep you thouroghly entertained. Tamara is a fun character to follow along with as she tries to save her family while keeping her own individuality.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Nadea Croix.
992 reviews6 followers
April 16, 2018
Tamara finally freed from a spell after witnessing the death of her father goes on a quest to find her lost nephew encountering various obstacles to save her family.
12.6k reviews189 followers
August 5, 2019
Unbelievable fantasy story. Tamara goes from a King’s daughter to being captured. Her father is murdered. But she’s strong and will overcome. Don’t miss out.
Profile Image for Barb VanderWel.
1,819 reviews30 followers
May 4, 2018
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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