Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book! I finished in 24 hours because I could not put it down! I felt for Evan and all she had to go through over the course of the story. The side characters were fun although half sister Mary irritated me on how she made Evan to be this manipulative villain when she gave no indication that was her at all. Lots of family secrets that frankly were pretty up there with having an illegitimate love child, but hey the people love their hypocrisy! I love the mystery of who was leaking the stories along with what actually happened with a murder, they did a great job of leaving you wondering until the end and the way they wrapped it, it's obvious that there will be a sequel (which I'm excited about) there was definitely a few secrets left and I have my theories on at least one of them. One additional thing I enjoyed was the slight change in the history of the english monarchy; it made it into an alternate universe where Queen Elizabeth's father didn't inherit the throne, but his older brother did his duty instead of running off with his love so things were relatively the same and yet different. Highly recommend reading this great story and I can't wait to see what happens next!

This book reads like a Netflix teen movie from 2011, and not in a "so bad, it's fun” way. A barely feasible grasp on British culture. Half-developed characters. Charmless banter. It's all here, folks.

Answer these questions: What makes this book different from all others? And why should anyone care?
This was a unique story about a commoners experience in the British Royal family. Even though the characters are different, I think many of the experiences can be related to the current British Royals. I thought it was a good story and plot with many twists and turns that will keep readers engaged.

I had a lot of fun with this one. It was well-plotted and the narrative voice was really engaging--I ended up reading this in just a few days! This wasn't anything crazy revolutionary, or anything, but if you're looking for a fast book filled with secrets and a royal conspiracy that could shake up everything, AND some cute romances, then look no further!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

The novel opens up with Evangeline Bright incidentally starting a fire in a. building, causing her to be expelled from yet another boarding school.

Once the action starts for Evan, it does not stop. After yet another expulsion, her caretaker whisks her away to the UK to avoid further legal involvement with the fire. The caveat is that Evangeline is the illegitimate daughter of the reigning King, Alexander, whom she has never met, and now under his roof.

I really enjoyed Evan's development, building new relationships for maybe the first time in her life, and learning more about both of her parents and their role in who and where she is today.

I was not ready for the story to end, so glad to see the cliffhanger and the plans for two additional novels. I will be eager to read them as well.

An American girl who just happens to be the illegitimate daughter of the King of England finds herself being forced to move to England to spend time with her estranged father and a family who didn’t know she existed after her latest blunder in school. 17 year old Evangeline “Evan” Bright doesn’t want anything to do with her father, the only thing she cares about is her mother. She loathes her dad for what he did to her mom and for abandoning them. So the last thing she wants is to spend time with a father who couldn’t be bothered to know her or be in her life. Yet here she is being sent to live with him after an incident in school and now she has to spend time with her step siblings who dislike her, a very cute boy, and family she’s never met. After a fun night out that turns deadly and ends up with Evan being drugged and nearly sexually assaulted, said boy who tried to film it and commit the act is found dead and all the fingers are pointing to Evan.... yet she knows she didn’t do it and that someone else is out to get her and destroy her. She’ll have to figure out what actually happened that night and who killed him as well as how she save herself and her mother from the news critics. Evan will also discover the true story behind her parents and who her father truly is and why his relationship to her has been distant. Family secrets will be revealed, betrayals, friendship, and a possible romance all come together in this mystery. This was a fun first book in the series and I can’t wait to see where Evan goes next and what royal mystery she’ll solve. i enjoyed Evan’s relationship with her family growing and I liked the romance, it was sweet and light and didn’t take away from the main mystery plot. The main mystery was interesting and I had a fun time reading this!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book has it all: mystery, suspense, family drama, and romance. Evan Bright, an American, is the 17-year-old illegitimate daughter of the U.K.'s King Alexander. Miraculously, the king has been able to keep her existence a secret all these years. However, after being expelled from her ninth boarding school, the king's personal secretary whisks Evan away to Windsor Castle, where she does not receive a warm welcome.

Evan wants to go home to her mother, Laura, who suffers from schizophrenia. Because of the disease, Evan hasn't seen her mother in several years, except via video chat. Evan plans to return home on her 18th birthday, which is only twenty-five days away. In the meantime, she attends a party where a young man named Jasper Cunningham, who seems kind and friendly, drugs her and attempts to rape her. Evan manages to escape and Jasper ends up dead. When a video surfaces that makes it look as if Evan pushed Jasper to his death, Evan becomes the prime suspect in Jasper's murder. She and Kit, her one friend and the king's nephew by marriage, try to clear Evan's name by identifying the real killer and discovering the origin of the video.

The author sensitively handles tough topics such as sexual assault and mental illness as she reveals family secrets and unravels the mystery of Jasper's death and the video that makes Evan look guilty. YA readers will devour this book and look forward to the sequels.

Seventeen-year-old Evan Bright has been in and out of boarding schools. She's also the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. When disaster hits her last boarding school, she finds herself in London with a father she doesn't remember and his current royal family. Her stepmother resents her presence and her stepsister Mary 'Maisie' is a total royal pain. Then scandal hits again only this time Evan finds herself the primary suspect in a murder investigation. Rumors build and she doesn't know who to trust. Other secrets come out that could change the monarchy forever. Plus, one of her own that she's willing to do anything to protect.

What worked: Totally addictive story of an American teen who gets sucked into a royal scandal. I'm a huge fan of novels with royalty! I really loved Evan. She's been through so much but refuses to let others get to her. She knows she's the daughter of the King of England and resents that he hasn't reached out to her. So when she finds herself in London and in not only his presence but his current family? She doesn't expect to get accepted-and she isn't. She figures once she turns eighteen she'll go back to America. That's when things change.

Princess Mary at first is the entitled snobby British princess who resents Evan and isn't afraid to show her contempt. But what I liked is that the author fleshes out Mary to not be that stereotypical evil stepsister. There are also other characters like Kit who is supportive throughout Evan's ordeal. King Alexander slowly comes out and shares what really happened between Evan's mother and him. And of course, the UK press with their salacious attempts to destroy Evan.

The mystery of who really killed Jasper isn't obvious and I was surprised by the reveal. There is a sensitive topic of sexual harassment and what happened to Evan at a party. Also, mental illness is mentioned. The author does have an interview where schizophrenia isn't shown in a way that enforces the stigma.

Engaging twist on an American teen's encounter with a deadly royal scandal. The portrayal of the extent social media and tabloids go after scandals within royal circles is shown in realistic detail. But it's mostly a story of a courageous teen who doesn't shy away from the truth even when most of the world thinks she's guilty.

#RoyalBlood #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Putting a trigger warning up front, because it comes up in the review and I don't want the review itself to trigger anyone: there is an attempted sexual assault in this book, and it is central to the plot.

After getting expelled from yet another boarding school--her ninth, in six years-- Evan is shipped off to spend the last month of her childhood with her absent father.
The king of England.
Who has never publicly acknowledged that he has an illegitimate child.
His wife and daughter are less than thrilled to have Evan at the castle (and Evan isn't exactly happy about it either), but she plans on laying low and sticking it out just for this one month.
Until someone leaks that she is King Alexander's daughter.
Until one of her few supposed friends tries to rape her, ends up dead, and she's named as a key suspect in the murder.
Suddenly, Evan can't stay under the radar, and her life will never be the same. And to make a bad situation even worse, somebody leaked her mother's name, and the fact that she's schizophrenic, to the press. All Evan wants to do is stay under the radar, keep her mother safe... and solve the murder to clear her name.

Royal Blood is an intense coming-of-age story full of heartbreak, trauma, complex family relationships, friendship, and love. I gasped a lot along the way, laughed a couple times, and found myself very invested in the characters-- not just Evan, but her half-sister Maisie, her cousin Ben, and Maisie's cousin Kit, The adults in Evan's life were all very engaging, as well: the mother who loves her but is so afraid of hurting her that she can't raise her, the father who didn't want her in the castle but wouldn't let her leave, the king's assistant (who's the most hands-on parent Evan has ever known), and the woman in charge of making sure she keeps to her schedule.

The cast is fantastic, the mystery is compelling, and the ending had me itching for book two.

tw for attempted assault, date rape drugs, and ableist comments about schizophrenia (not from the protagonists, who are all supportive)

This book is absolutely what I needed to read this week. It was fun, meaningful, and exciting. I loved all the characters, especially Evan and Kit, and I'm so excited for a sequel. Loved the relationship between Maisie and Evan. The romance between Evan and Kit is adorable!

Thank you to Yallfest and Underlined/Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book.

4.0 to 4.5 stars.

First of all, prior to reading the book blurb, I assumed that Royal Blood was some type of vampire book based on the cover. The tea cup (with super dark tea or blood???) and the font for BLOOD just gave me vampire vibes. LOL. And even after reading the blurb, I still got vampire vibes from the cover. LOL. (Note: this is not a critique of the cover -which I like - but more something I personally find funny since the book definitely does not have vampires in it)

Anyhow, moving on....

Royal Blood (as mentioned above does not feature vampires) focuses on Evan, the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. After encountering trouble at her latest boarding school, she ends up in London meeting some of her royal family for the first time. And things.... do not go well. In fact, they go so badly that someone ends up dead. And from there it just goes downhill for Evan.

Royal Blood is a fast paced mash up of the American Royals series + Veronica Mars and wastes very little time getting to the meat of the story. If you enjoy stories that are super plot driven then you will enjoy this one. Additionally, the book kept me guessing who the culprit was until the very end. I also felt that it tackled some pretty hefty issues (mental health, sexual assault, etc.) gracefully and gently.

My only complaint is that character development does take a back seat to plot in this novel. While that tends to be the case with these type of novels, I did wish that Carter spent a little more time helping the reader better understand some of the secondary characters. However, I believe Royal Blood is the first of a trilogy so perhaps Carter will explore the secondary characters (and their motivations) more in future novels.

All in all, Royal Blood was highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to readers who are okay with the topics addressed in the novel.

Great book!! Could not put it down. Enjoyed the way it was written, where it takes place in the year 2023. Evan is such a likeable character even with all her flaws. It's kind of a reflection of the way many children see their life growing up not knowing their biological parent. I liked how it gives you an interesting look at the way the monarchy truly runs even though it's only fiction. This is a definite purchase for my library. Can't wait for the rest of the trilogy.

This being my first venture into Aimee Carter -- but knowing of her Goddess Test series -- I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed this scandal-infused book on a new sort of royals. I am really looking forward to the rest of this series! Tore through this first book in a day.

As the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, 17-year-old Evan Bright knows a bit about keeping secrets. However, after being expelled yet again, she’s forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family. Soon her identity is leaked to the press, and the world is dying to know every single thing about her, even if it’s untrue. Evan quickly becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation after an unfortunate turn of events, and the fallout threatens to tear her life apart. As she fights to uncover the truth about what really happened that night, she discovers royal secrets that are even more scandalous than she imagined – secrets that could change the monarchy forever.

I absolutely LOVED this ARC - it was one of those where once I got into it I didn't want to put it down because I just had to know what was going to happen next. To me it gave Such Mean Girls x The Princess Diaries vibes (and honestly my first comparison was Twitches minus the magic, so). The storyline moves incredibly fast and it hits a lot of sensitive topics (sexual assault, media scrutiny, mental health, trauma) that the author handles gracefully. The murder mystery element was a fun twist that heightened the stakes considerably and elevates the inability to know who in the castle is friend or foe. I loved all of the character development and relationships, especially when it comes to Evan and her immediate family, and the twists were jaw dropping!

I think this is book one in a planned series, and I personally cannot wait for more of Evan's story!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Review: I picked up this book thinking it sounded interesting, and that I would enjoy it, but I did not expect how much I would love this YA novel! The characters were fantastic. I loved Evan as the MC, and my heart hurt for how much she went through, and how unfairly she was treated. There were characters who I started out not liking, but as the book went on (and we learned new things), they grew on me. When I found out this was the beginning of a series, I was so happy! I want more time with these characters and world. The ending was great! And I would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings, there are a lot of sensitive topics discussed, and events that occur in this book. Overall, I loved this book so much, and would highly recommend reading it! I can't wait for book two!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Evan Bright has just been kicked out of yet another boarding school. To her surprise, she is shipped off to England as a result, to the father she's never met - who just happens to be the King. Evan has been kept a secret her whole life, but her identify is suddenly leaked to the press - at the same time that a boy she was getting close to is found dead. And she was the last person to see him alive...

This book is tense and dramatic and I completely adored it! Love the character development and character relationships and the twists were suitably jaw dropping!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this ARC - it was one of those reads where I didn't want to put it down because the storyline just kept going and I wanted to know what happened next. Yes, the book moved fast and yes, there were definitely parts that maybe felt a tad bit unbelievable, but isn't that part of the fun when it comes to fiction?

Evan Bright, our main character, is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. And while she knows this, and he knows this, and his wife and legitimate daughter know this - the public does NOT know this. But they will. Because after six years of boarding school after boarding school, Evan finds herself in the palace meeting her father for the first time. And naturally, chaos ensues. The media is more than ready to sink their teeth into this news thanks to a leak inside the castle, the Queen and Princess are less than enthused she's on the scene, and the King doesn't seem to know what to do. Evan herself doesn't want to be there and everything she does revolves around protecting her mother whose mental health seems shaky.

The storyline moves fast and hits a lot of sensitive topics that the author handles sensitively and gracefully - sexual assault, media scrutiny, mental health, trauma. There's a murder mystery element that comes into play and the question of who exactly in the castle is friend or foe. I really enjoyed this book and hope for more of Evan's story!

Royal Blood is a fast paced read that sucks you right in from the first page. Evan Bright is the daughter of the King of England, but has spent the last 6 years of her life shuttled from one boarding school to the next. That all changes as she nears her 18th birthday and she ends up in London meeting her father and his family for the first time. This book deals with a lot of serious issues, from dealing with a parent trying to manage a mental disorder, to connecting with a family who is less than welcoming, to being drugged and assaulted. Evan somehow manages to keep going and still has the capacity to find out who is trying to discredit her. The romance could have been left out but will be curious to read any follow up books to see how Evan progresses.

Aimee Carter played rock&roll ! This brand new series is gonna be my new addiction.

Can you imagine the latest British king’s bastard American daughter who was born at the same day with her Princess daughter flies to London to meet his new royal family? And this is not only scandalous news that will tear apart the British Royals! She’s also the prime suspect of the murder Jasper Cunningham: son of Robert Cunningham who owns the half print media in Britain! But let’s start the story from the beginning.

A 17 misfit, rebellious American girl Evangeline is so close to get expelled from her 9th boarding school. She can even spend her time in prison after accidentally putting math teacher’s office on fire! Of course she had good intentions. She only wanted to help her roommate.

Thankfully she is saved by Jenkins : her mysterious and neglectful royal father’s right hand who fixes things and makes arrangements but this time for preventing a conviction, Jenkins decides to take the matters into his own hands and puts Evan into private plane that is heading to the UK. Evan finds herself in the palace, meeting with her condescending sister Maise , her vengeful mother Helen, her noisy cousin Ben, her flirty-joyful uncle Nicholas and of course her father dearest- king of the UK who abandoned her to be raised by her grandmother and prevent her to see her own mother who suffers from mental health issues.

Everybody seems like hating her instead of Jenkins and his partner Louis, stubborn/ determined assistant Tibby and Christopher- Kit: withdrawn, mysterious charming boy who is also the niece of Queen Helen.

Even though Evan never runs from big challenges, the entire news sites seem like teamed up to tarnish her reputation by writing lies about her past and now she’s crucified as a murderer of innocent Jasper Cunningham!
She didn’t remember the details of the night because she’s been drugged but somebody is out there to do everything in his power to ruin her life! She has to find the real perpetrator to fix her reputation and in the meantime she has to find a way to bury the hatchet and learn to forgive her own father for years of neglecting.

Overall: this was smart, riveting, extremely enjoyable reading! Evangeline is tough, intelligent, straightforward, bold, relentless, fiery ! She’s my kind of greatest badass heroine!
I cannot wait to read more adventures of her!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.