ROYAL SCANDAL

A messy royal family faces yet more challenges—some of them life-threatening.

Readers first met American 18-year-old Evangeline Bright in 2023’s Royal Blood, in which she cleared her name after being framed for murder. In the five months since then, she’s remained in England, trying to find her place in the royal family and build relationships with King Alexander (her father) and Maisie (her half sister, who’s heir to the throne). Life among the royals is not smooth sailing, however. The press seems to have a lot of inside knowledge about the family, and Evan can’t shake off tabloid attention, especially from the Regal Record, which maintains a sharp focus on her. Worse, Benedict, Evan’s cousin who framed her for murder and was sent away to Kenya, is back, and he’s behaving in a menacing way. The royal family is also contending with the rise of an anti-monarchist group, the Army of the British Republic. Things get even rockier when assassination attempts threaten her father’s life; it’s impossible to tell whether the danger comes from inside or outside the family—or both. The characterization remains at the surface level, making this a plot-driven story with sordid intrigues and danger lurking around every corner. The pace moves at a fast clip, and the story races to a cliffhanger ending as Evan tries to uncover the truth. Central characters read white.

Soapy, scandalous, and escapist fun.