Both books in this duology/series always make me laugh every time. The characters and their flaws are so realistic in our society today, with just enough fiction to make it a nice escape from reality. The story could have been paced a little better for me, but that's just a personal opinion. I hope Carter continues to write more books in this universe as I would devour each and every new book every time.

Evan is finally getting used to all the media attention since the world discovered she is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. Almost all of the clickbait is false news, but Evan has been receiving threats of another story … one that is all too true. As more and more information is leaked about her, she wonders if she will always be hated by the people of Britain. Then there is an assassination attempt … and another. Does someone really want Evan dead or is there another motive?

Royal Scandal is the second book in the Royal Blood series. This mystery had enough clues at the beginning to nudge my memory about events in the first book without feeling that the author was trying to recap everything for readers. I will say that I was constantly running scenarios in my head as I was working my way through the novel and was happy that it wasn’t completely predictable. Goodreads has an untitled third book listed and I hope that Carter can continue this series past three books.

I am thoroughly enjoying this young adult series, and with the second entry, more and more intrigue and complications arise for Evan and the royal family. Will illegitimate American daughter Evan ever be fully accepted? Will Evan and Kit eventually find happiness? Can Evan's parents get the happy ending they deserve, and along with that, will the King recover from his grave injuries? Will Princess Maisie be able to embrace her future along with what she wants most in life? And will the villain finally be caught? I cannot wait for the conclusion!

Royal Blood was such a great start to this series and I was so excited to Royal Scandal. I’m so happy to say that it completely lived up to the hype in my head, even exceeded it. What an absolute ride this was! Just like the first book, Royal Scandal handles a variety of difficult topics like infidelity, mental illness, para social relationships and complicated family dynamics with such care. It’s also such a great look at the relevance of the monarchy in this day and age, even a fictional one. The pacing was pretty steady throughout, but oh my goodness, there were times my heart was racing! And that ending! I cannot wait until book three.

TW: mental illness, infidelity, terrorism, gun violence, fire injury, mentions of sexual assault

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I delved into the sequel, "Royal Scandal," picking up a few months after the events in "Royal Blood." Evan, now preparing for her first Christmas with the royal family, faces unexpected challenges when Ben, previously exiled to Africa, reappears in Sandringham. Despite Ben's claims of reform, Evan remains skeptical. The royal dynamics become even more complex as Maisie and Alexander choose to keep Ben close for strategic reasons, complicating Evan's feelings further. Amidst family tensions, Evan's concerns escalate when her mother joins the royal festivities, raising worries about her safety in this den of vipers.

As the Christmas festivities unfold, danger looms when an assassination attempt targets Evan. Convinced that Ben is responsible, Evan's fixation on him raises concerns about her mental well-being. The plot thickens as the royal family faces increasing threats, with Evan caught in the crossfire and time running out.

The first two-thirds of the book offered much to enjoy. Evan and Kit's dynamic, Evan's interactions with her mother, and the subplot involving Constance, the Queen Mother, were engaging. The narrative gained momentum, making it a compelling and hard-to-put-down installment. For fans of "Royal Blood," "Royal Scandal" is a recommended read, with a promise of an exciting trilogy conclusion.

However, some issues arose for me. Notably, the sequel seemed to backtrack on the character growth established in the first book. Extreme shifts in character attitudes lacked explanation, and certain situations felt overly repetitive, akin to being on a hamster wheel.

One major concern involved Maisie's character, who had shown growth in "Royal Blood." Unfortunately, "Royal Scandal" undid much of this development, portraying her as emotionally and verbally abusive, regressing into tantrums and immaturity. The lack of continuity in her character arc became frustrating, and I found it hard to sympathize with her.

Additionally, abrupt shifts in Maisie's beliefs without adequate explanation created a sense of inconsistency. A deeper exploration of her vulnerabilities and reasons for such shifts would have added depth and made her character more relatable.

Helene's persistent animosity towards Evan and the repetitive framing of Evan as the perpetrator grew tiresome. Despite the clear evidence of Evan's innocence in "Royal Blood," the narrative looped into a similar situation in "Royal Scandal," straining believability.

In conclusion, while "Royal Scandal" delivered an explosive plot and maintained engagement, the regression in character development and repetitive elements posed drawbacks. I appreciate the opportunity provided by NetGalley and Delacorte Press to read an early copy, and despite the challenges, I look forward to completing the trilogy.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the eARC.

I really enjoyed "Royal Blood", however "Royal Scandal takes everything I enjoyed about the first book and pumps it past eleven.

Evan is settling in, getting to know her father's family after being framed for a murder she didn't commit, unfortunately the framer returns and things go south for Evan really fast.

Shootings, tabloid gossip, and so much more terrorize the royal family and the writing is so tense I felt like I was right there with Evan.

This book was fantastic and I am clawing at walls to read the next one.

I'm still getting "I was a teenage vampire" vibes from this cover. I can't explain it. I'm also wondering why the fate of the world, or at least Great Britain, falls on the daft shoulders of a group of remarkably unobservant teenagers.

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.