How am I supposed to go on with THAT ENDING! Royal scandal picks up right where royal blood left off, and it was non stop until the very end.
These books are so much fun, if you love royals, a scandal story, mystery and lots of family drama there is seriously not a more perfect series!

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Royals, family drama, a mystery? Yes please! This is so fun! Similar vibes like a good girls guide to murder and truly devious but with a royal spin.

Sometimes sequels miss the mark, but this one didnt. The same energy that the first book had, with the same great characters and great new additions, as well as a continuation of the plot line with new angles.

Very enjoyable! Can only recommend!

Thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!

Holy crap. I love this book series and I already can’t wait for the next book even though this one isn’t technically out yet. Ugh. The twists that happened and the cliffhanger ending was literally perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC in return for a review.

I got taken in again--I did not realize that there is another book coming--I hope, and I hope it comes soon. After reading Royal Blood, I hoped there would be another book, then I was so excited when I saw Royal Scandal (thank you Net Galley) then as I came to the 96% mark in my kindle, I realized this may not be ending and it did not. So now I have to wait, anxiously, for another book to come out, I hope soon. I could not put this book down, I was just on the edge of my seat practically from the beginning, it is like waves rolling of incident after incident, each one worse than the next, but yet Evan's relationship with Kit, Maizie, her mom, Jenkins, and a new character from MI5 keep her going and give her the courage to not give up. Aimee Carter--please write fast-I can't wait for the next book!

Book Name: Royal Scandal
Author: Aimée Carter

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for a copy of Royal Scandal

Stars: 5
Spice : 0

Part of Series….
Cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!
Fast Paced
FMC POV
Contemporary “Royal” Adventure
Princess Diaries + What a Girl Wants

- Great Continuation of Series
- So Many Fun Twists
- Character Development was Top Notch
- Fun
- Kit was so Dashing
- Evan was Evan-ing
- This was a Great Sequel
- No Sequel Slump Here
- That Cliffhanger Physically Hurts.
- Book 3 Needs to Be in My Hands ASAP

I was really hoping to like this more than I did. I felt like Evan didn’t have any growth and was not really that interesting. Teen readers would probably not have the same concerns so I would still recommend it to them if they liked the first one.

What a wild ride. I binge-read this book in a day.

The first book was a delightful mix of "The Princess Diaries," "What a Girl Wants", and an edgy CW teen show.
Royal Scandal picks up 5 months after the end of where Royal Blood leaves off. Evan has settled in a the palace- in my opinion a little too well, as she complains that a royal banquet with the American president's family is a terribly long 3 or 4 hours lol. After years in boarding schools, she is excited to have a family Christmas, alongside her charming boyfriend Kit, at Sandringham House. No family holiday is complete without some drama and fighting, which comes in the form of King Alexander bringing along Evan's mother Laura as his guest, the Queen Mother disapproving of Laura, Evan, Alexander, and discovering to her horror, the relationship between Helene and Nicholas. The stakes get more life and death when Evan is shot- the first time of three times she is attacked in the book.

Some things I found strange/surprising:
*after spending 6 years and the entire first book begging to see her mother, Evan doesn't spend as much time with her mother as I expected. After Evan is shot "Kit and I spend most of those weeks in my suite, watching Netflix, reading books, and listening to my new record collection (page 112)." So Evan spends years only able to talk with her mom through video chat, and now she is living with her mom, but doesn't seem to try to bond with her much.
*Tibby catches Kit sleeping over in Evan's suite and.... doesn't say anything to Alexander, her boss, Evan's father?
*After having great character development in the first book Maise seemed to regress
*Evan endures multiple traumatic experiences and the idea of therapy is never really discussed?
*Evan's parents want to send her to Virginia. Was Laura going to go with her? It was very unclear

I need book 3 ASAP. I am hoping that in book 3:
*Alexander will recover
*Alexander and Laura
*stories/flashbacks of Evan growing up
*a confrontation with the Queen Mother. I did love how she was protective of Evan in the hospital though
*Alexander being supportive of Maise and Gia
*Jenkins being there for everyone
*Evan and Kit's mission is successful and Ben is finally gone for good
*a happy ending where Laura and Alexander are able to be together, and Evan, Kit, and Maise can have somewhat normal times at Oxford
*seriously I just want a happily ever after these characters have had enough trauma and drama

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I love this series. This sequel picks up where Royal Blood left off and keeps the reader guessing. I still think the cover looks more like a vampire series (Step-Mom could totally be a vamp) but the story is amazing and it is a super quick read.

Wow! Book 1 was nicely suspenseful and twisty. This book blew me away! I couldn’t put it down and was shocked by the end! This was my first fantastic five-star read of 2024 and I’m eagerly awaiting the conclusion! The characters remained true to their personalities and the action was nail-biting. Loved this book.

Loved it!! Revisiting this world and these characters was a delight. I'm a sucker for royal family stories and have been a fan of Aimee Carter since her debut Goddess Test days. She's still got the ability to write chapters that keep me turning pages. Pair this one with read alike Tokyo Ever After / Tokyo Dreaming for a fun pairing.

“Royal Scandal” is a combination of “Princess Diaries” and “What a Girl Wants,” with murder and chaos thrown into the mix. This series is just fun! The cast of characters and budding romance are entertaining. The news clips that prelude the chapters add to the intrigue of the plot. This book was nonstop action. Just when you think everything is going fine in Evan’s world, everything blows up in her face. The same cast of characters are involved, with some new additions. There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, particularly in the first two-thirds. I liked getting to see more of Evan and Kit's dynamic as well as Evan spending time with her mother. The storyline with Constance, the Queen Mother, was great, too. By the end of “Royal Blood”, I started to really like Maisie and appreciated her growth. I also loved the idea of a queer royal who's the heir to the throne! However, “Royal Scandal” undid a lot of Maisie's growth with the way she emotionally and verbally abuses people, lashes out, and throws tantrums whenever she doesn't get her way. It got really old really quick. I wish we could have seen a continuation of Maisie's growth from book one or at least more depth to her character to explain her relapse because she really frustrated me to the point where I stopped rooting for her. Showing Maisie's vulnerable side, even if only in small doses, would've gone a long way to create sympathy where I had none as well as making the storyline more consistent and believable. I loved the new characters introduced in this book, and I hope to see more of them. The plot also moved a lot more quickly in this installment and was much more explosive, which made it hard to put down! Aimee Carter knows how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I know I’m probably going to have to wait about a year until the next book comes out, but I know it will be worth the wait. If you like edge of your seat, family, drama, and true love. This is the sequel for you. Thanks to Aimee Carter, Netgalley, Delecorte Press and Random House Children’s for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. Aimee needs to get the next in the series out ASAP!

I thought this was a fantastic sequel full of intrigue, character development, and just as much drama as the first one! This series is solid and honestly much better done than American Royals, which shares a similar fanbase, but they should make the switch to these!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I am incredibly thankful to get an advance copy of the sequel to Royal Blood,

Evan Bright, the illegitimate American daughter of the King of England continues to make a name for self in the press and within the palace.

Scandal after scandal after scandal, assassination attempts galore, and underground terrorist group? A lot of pack in to one book, let alone the life of a teenage girl. But Aimee Carter does a wonderful job making it believeable, thrilling and fun.

Already cannot wait to read the next one.

This sequel was so good and so infuriating. Almost on principle, I don't really read series -- I'm a one and done reader. BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. I need to know now. Like the first, this book is tightly paced and twisty and a lot of fun. I continue to be so obsessed with and so annoying about this series and I make no apologies.

Very much enjoyed this installment of the series. I enjoyed how the two worlds of Evan started to collide a lot more in this book in some unpredictable ways. I figured out a few of the mysteries, but it kept my attention the whole time. Very fast paced, I read this in a few hours today. Looking forward to the next installment.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review, but opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I recently read Royal Blood (book#1) and loved it, so when I saw this was available, I had to request it! Royal Scandal is book 2 in Carter's trilogy about Evan, the illegitimate daughter of the King of England and a solid cast of friends and family. This one is even better than the first! Someone is still out to get Evan and the stakes are literally life and death--the action does not stop and I read the entire book in a day because I had to know what was going on! My only beef is that the book ends with a cliffhanger and now I will have to wait an unbearably long time to see things wrap up for my new favorite royal family! :) I will be adding this series to my classroom library ASAP!

This book was my first 5 star read of the year. The first book was a solid 4, but this book was just perfection. I love the connection with the characters, the plot line kept me hooked, and when I read the last page I was already impatiently waiting on book 3. I didn’t feel as though anything was predictable throughout the plot. I FELT Evan’s frustration and confusion regarding if she was losing her mind. This book was just simply fantastic. I am now looking forward to reading other works by the author.

i'd say this one was quite a bit stronger than the first one, although it does require some suspension of disbelief. thanks for the arc. 4.5

even better than the first book, and that says a lot considering i adored that one. this was so drama-filled packed with twists and turns and a mystery that leaves you guessing about what's gonna happen next. literally so princess diaries coded but for an older audience.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book!

Aimee Carter's "Royal Scandal" propels readers into an action-packed mystery sequel that I found even more engaging than the first book. The unexpected twists in this installment (especially in the last 25% of the book) leaves readers eager for more. While not without its flaws, the novel tells a tale of intrigue, mystery, and the complexities of royal life, perfect for those who grew up with “The Princess Diaries.”

This sequel was extremely captivating with not only the plot but also with the continued development of the characters, especially Maisie and Evan’s mom. They were both characters I wanted more of from the first book, and Carter definitely delivers in this sequel.
The intricate web of royal family dynamics, coupled with assassination attempts and suspicions, creates a fast-paced and explosive narrative that is hard to put down. I not only enjoyed the development of Evan’s mom, but also the interactions Evan has with her mom and getting to see the inner workings of the mom’s mind. I kinda want a novella in the mom’s POV. Evan’s relationship with Kit is also very well-written and engaging. I almost thought there was going to be a love triangle in the first chapter, but thankfully Carter swerved away from that, which I’m grateful for.

There are some shortcomings with this book, like the repetitive nature of certain situations as well as how some scenes were a bit unrealistic and difficult to believe would happen in real life. The book reminded me a bit of “Riverdale” in that sense. While the plot can sometimes be over-the-top, the last 25% of the book definitely made it worth it, and I was flying through the pages at that point. I definitely can’t wait for the next book; the ending of “Royal Scandal” will be stuck in my head for quite awhile.

I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 (rounded up to 5 on Goodreads).