ROYAL SCANDAL - Aimee Carter


Evangeline "Evan" Bright is an American girl whose father happens to be the King of England. The king has publicly acknowledged the relationship and has brought Evan to England to live with the royal family. This has caused no small amount of scandal and jealousy. Although Evan and the crown princess, Maisie, have come to be on good terms (maybe even friends) there are still many extended family members (and press outlets) who see Evan as either a threat to their own line of succession or to the integrity of the English people.

In the previous volume Evan was set up to take the fall for the death of a British tabloid owner's son but the evidence and truth eventually came out. But this hasn't relieved Evan of becoming a scapegoat for attacks on the Royal Family. Someone is targeting both Evan and King Alexander - and they might just succeed!

After multiple attacks in which a rebel group claims responsibility and claims that Evan is a member of their coalition, a direct attack at their home puts the king on life support and there is talk about preparing for Maisie's ascension to the throne. But because of her age and some changes to the laws of succession, Maisie will need to be advised by a specified group of people.  Surprisingly, because of Alexander's careful wording of the plan, Evan is to be among that group. This doesn't sit well with many, given her American heritage and her presumed links to the guerilla group.

I'm having a lot of fun with this series.  I'm not an anglophile but my wife and daughter are, to a very small degree, so I've caught on to a bit of the lingo and complicated lineage. Having an American girl suddenly discover she's actual 'royal' is likely a fantasy for many teens (just think about books and films like The Princess Diaries). But as author Aimee Carter suggests in this series, it isn't all a bed of roses.

There are times I rolled my eyes with an "Oh, seriously?" thought - sometimes it was because of the piling-on of problems and sometimes it was with Evan's decision-making, but I'd remind myself who this book is targeted toward and how that reading audience (probably teens) would react.

Evan's relationships with the royal family are enjoyable - I will admit that I missed the strength and volume of interaction with her personal attendant that we had in the first book - and I'm glad that there's not an evident resentment conflict between Evan and Maisie (though I admit I'm not sure we're seeing the true Maisie yet).

There's a clear open door for another volume and I would question whether or not this is a stand-alone book because I don't think there's an ending here. If you should read this, plan or expect that you'll need to commit to the next volume as well.

Looking for a good book? Royal Scandal by Aimee Carter is a fun anglophile fantasy, likely for teens with plenty of mystery and teen angst.

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

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Royal Scandal

author: Aimee Carter

series: Royal Blood #2

publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN: 9780593485934

hardcover, 416 pages

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