Evan Bright has been in private boarding schools since her grandmother died when she was 11 due to her mother's poor mental health and the fact that her father is the King of England and no one seems to know that she exists. She longs to be home with her mom, but when her privacy becomes a concern, it's clear that she needs to be protected and closer to her father. The biggest problem is that she's never spent any time with the man and feels fully neglected by him. In the vein of The Princess Diaries and Tokyo Ever After, but it just doesn't totally hit the mark for me. However, I'm really looking forward to the second book. I think the series has a lot of promise.

Many thanks to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Royal Blood by Aimée Carter was a good read. I wish it had a better cover but it was well-written with interesting characters.

I was interested in this book from the start but didn't realize how much I would enjoy it! Evan is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England and a bit of a rebel! The book follows her as she becomes entangled in a murderous scandal after a night out turns deadly. This book dealt with a few heavy topics but did so with awareness and grace. The mystery itself was also brilliant and kept me on my toes. The characters were all entertaining in their own right and I had a marvelous time with this book. I was not expecting to be left on a cliffhanger and I'm so glad the sequel is already out because I'm ready to dive right into it.

I really wanted to like this more, the premise and characters were interesting but I didn’t like the way the mystery plot was done.

Royal Blood is the first book in the Royal Blood series by Aimee Carter. It follows Evan, a young American girl, who is the bastard child of the current King of England. She has never actually met her father but constantly has the sensation of him being around with the protection that he provides. This protection usually shows up as she is trying to cause trouble and get kicked out of boarding school. Her goal is to finally be able to go home to her mother. Things don't go as planned with her last episode of trouble though and suddenly she finds herself in London meeting her father for the first time.

From the moment Evan enters England, it seems like trouble is bound to follow her. She finds herself the center of the English tabloids and the prime suspect of a murder. She really is thrown right in the middle of things! Other around her aren't sure exactly what to think about her at first but, she slowly starts earning their trust. Much of this is due to her reaction to being accused of murdering the individual who had tried to sexually assault her that same night. You can feel the fierceness that is a core part of Evan's personality.

A good majority of this book involved the murder mystery. Unfortunately it wasn't as engaging as it could have been. While I wanted Evan to clear her name, I honestly started not to care who actually was the murderer. I was more engaged in the dynamics between the characters and learning the history between King Alexander and Evan's mother. There was so much more there than Evan ever knew about. She had created a story in her head that was missing so many important pieces. These pieces led to many needed conversations regarding mental health and therapy.

Given the fact that Royal Blood involves a royal family, there are alot of secrets that are uncovered. Things look picture perfect on the surface but behind the scenes the affairs, the lies, and the blackmailing is abundant. This is what kept me engaged in the story. I enjoyed learning all the details regarding each character. I still feel like there is more information out there though especially involving the character of Kit. Hopefully more is revealed in the second book of the series, Royal Scandal.

**3.5 Stars**

The murder mystery part of the story was resolved so quickly I wasn’t expecting that but the mystery of who released the footage was not as intriguing to me and so I lost interest in that part of the story. Then when it was revealed who did release the footage, I didn’t understand why he did it and it’s never explained. It might be explained in the next books but I jus don’t know why I would want to continue reading it when the rest of the loose ends are tied up at the end of the story.

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

Evan, the illegitimate daughter of the King of England, has stayed a secret in America for many years. As Evan gets kicked out of another boarding school and her mother's health declines even more, the decision is made that Evan must stay at her father's. The problem is, Evan does not want to be with her father, and her father's wife and daughter do not want her there either. Evan is assaulted by a wealthy pseudo-friend who later falls from his balcony and dies. Evan becomes suspect and is suddenly thrust into the limelight of London's social scene and then all the Royals' secrets begin spilling out.

Great read alike for fans of Katharine McGee's American Royals series, only with a little more suspense and action. I'm adding book 2 to my TBR pile!

I liked this book a lot. I thought the mystery was really well done. It kept me guessing throughout and I definitely fell for the red herrings.

Aimee Carter’s Goddess Test Series is one of my favorite YA paranormal romance series, but I have been disappointed by some of her other books. Royal Blood, for me, is Carter at her best. Evan is a classic YA heroine, filled with aghast and anger at her absentee parent. Her journey is based in an extreme location, but it is relatable. Also, I appreciated Evan’s origin story. Carter played with history while giving a strong main character the backstory she deserved. The only weakness of the book was the resolution of the mystery, which I found to be too obvious. Yet, even with that weakness, I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC for Royal Blood by Aimee Carter.

I am giving Royal Blood a 3 star rating. It was an entertaining quick read. There is enough drama in the book to keep you reading. Some of the plot line does resemble what's going on with the real royal family if you've followed what's been going on or followed the gossip things.

This book combined two of my favorite things: royal families and murder! I loved the overall concept of the impact of an American girl on the British monarchy. It reminded me of the beloved teen movie "What a Girl Wants." I also saw similarities with Megan Markel and Prince Harry, which would be a great marketing angle. There was so much intrigue surrounding the scandal and illegitimacy of Evan, as well as the twisty murder investigation. I love secrets and guessing along as a reader!

I absolutely loved this book. A fast page turner with lots of drama ! I couldn't put it down. I'm not into historical fiction so most royalty books don't interest me. This one is for fans of suspense and twisty turns. I loved getting to read this early! Can't wait for the next.

Evangeline "Evan" Bright has not been a particularly good student. She's been kicked out of more private school than years she's been in school. It doesn't help that her mother has been institutionalized and she hasn't been allowed to see her, other than the occasional Zoom call, and her father ... well if her mother is to be believed (and Evan does believe her mom), her father is the King of England. And with Evan not being the daughter of the Queen of England, it's not likely she'll be meeting her dad anytime soon.

But when Evan gets in hot water at her latest school and put in a jail cell, she is rescued by a very proper man with a British accent. He claims to be the King's personal attendant and that they've been looking out for Evan the best that they can. But her latest escapade has real legal ramifications and they think she'd be safest in the palace with her father, at least until she turns 18 in a few months.

The bastard child of the King of England isn't exactly welcome news to the rest of the royal family, or to the British tabloids, but King Alexander truly loves the daughter he's never really known and feels that now is as good a time as any to welcome her into the royal family. Alexander's other daughter, Mary, heir to the throne, isn't what Evan would call 'welcoming.' And when Evan is framed for the murder of the wealthy son of Britain's largest tabloid, even the King's authority may not protect her.

I found this to be a really fresh YA story that manages to include a number of traditional YA tropes - the kinds of things that certain young readers really want to see without dwelling too long on any one of them and instead making this a murder mystery. First off, we have an American girl who is a British princess. How clever is that? Of course this isn't anything too new (Princess Diaries, anyone? ... I know they aren't British, in name ...) but author Aimee Carter jumps right in and announces this, and then has her protagonist rebel against the idea of being any kind of royalty. She just wants to be loyal to her mom.

It was clever, I thought, to have Evan so against the whole thing and instead have Alexander be the one to try to get her integrated into the family. It was a nice reversal from the typical or expected course of action. I did find Alexander's attention and determination a bit far-fetched and over the top at times. This is a daughter from an illicit affair! Certainly it helped that the Queen was also having her own affairs.

In a literary sense, it was nice to have Evan have to face issues that teen girls might actually face, such as being drugged and sexually preyed upon. Evan's being rescued by others, however, means that the average reader won't have these resources available.

There's a little bit of romance, despite the sexual assault, and there's a light mystery to be solved (we never believe for a second that Evan is guilty) and overall I really appreciated the positivity portrayed throughout, despite challenges and assaults and accusations. Teens have enough negativity to deal with.

Looking for a good book? Royal Blood by Aimee Carter is a YA murder mystery that allows readers to get everything they want in a typical YA book and still leave with a positive feeling.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Royalty, mystery and scandal in the beginning of this YA series!

17yo Evangeline (Evan) is the illegitimate American daughter of the British king and has been kept out of the public eye her entire life so Britain royals don’t suffer from a scandal. She has bounced around to several boarding schools since her mom was diagnosed with fragile mental health and her grandmother (her only other relative) passed away. When Evan gets in trouble, a British royal advisor swoops in to whisk her away to the Windsor Castle in London for her protection but the royal family is irate that she’s in London, let alone the palace. Evan tries to see the situation from their perspective and even though she’s kind and not to blame for her father’s actions, her stepmother and half sister are cruel to her. She just wants to make it to her eighteenth birthday so she can be on her own and get away from the disdain. As much as Evan tries to blend in and please the royal family, things spiral when a death occurs.

Likes/dislikes: The storyline is interesting. I enjoyed the intense parts. Great characters. Great quote from Queen Victoria.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for attempted sexual assault.
Language: R for 50 swears and no f-words.
Ethnicity: Predominantly white. Gia has dark skin. Louis is Black.

I loved Royal Blood and can't wait to read the sequel soon! It is a great mix of fantasy and royal intrigue.

This was a fun, drama filled, ya mystery. While some of the mystery was fairly predictable, it was still an enjoyable read. The author created an interesting world and strong characters. I found Evan’s story to be quite compelling and was definitely entertained throughout although I would have appreciated more suspense/mystery. I’d say this was a solid YA read. 3.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary arc.

PS: Look, the title made me think there were going to be vampires involved and I was actually disappointed when it was just about human royals. lol

I liked this one and I am looking forward to the next Evan adventure. I could not put this one down and the audiobook is well done too.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After she is kicked out of her latest boarding school, Evan has nowhere to turn except to her estranged father. The only issue there is that her father happens to be the King of England, and her existence is a closely guarded secret. But arriving in London, at the palace, she has to face her step mother and half sister, who have just learnt of her existence, as well as the rest of her extended family. And when one of her first friends is found dead, with Evan being the last person to see him, and the world learning of her parentage, Evan needs to discover who she can trust, and fast!

I loved this book so much! As soon as I saw the synopsis, and the comparisons to The Princess Diaries, I knew it was for me. Royal Blood had it all! There were twists and turns, drama, intrigue, murder, romance, mystery, and so much more. Evan was the perfect protagonist for the story, and I cared for her so much as the book progressed. She had suffered a lot in her life, and being hidden away for years, only to be thrust into the spotlight in such a way, was bound to affect her. She had no one on her side who she felt like she could trust, though the nephew of her step mother, Kit, was always by her side, and never pushed her. Their romance was wonderful, and there were moments when I thought all hope was lost, but then there were moments of lightness and joy, which Evan wholly deserved! There were truly 'on the edge of your seat' moments, and I found myself second guessing again and again over who the true villain was. I'm so happy this is not a standalone book as I had initially thought, because I need more from this world, and from Evan! A phenomenal book!