Unfortunately this book was very difficult for me to connect to. It was a struggle to get through. I have read and enjoyed other books by this author so I think this was an outlier.

This book gave me such The Prince & Me vibes (2000s rom com!). I love the strong female lead who knows what she wants and doesn’t want to settle.
I’m very thankful to have received an eARC for this book. While the review is late, I’m still thankful for this opportunity.

While I objectively love romance books with all their silly little girly troupes, this one just didn’t hit for me. I’m very wishy-washy on instant love, and this was certainly that. I haven’t read many normal person and royalty romance books so that was new for me. It gave me big Princess Diaries vibes, which I enjoyed. The parts that I didn’t enjoy is that it didn’t feel authentic at all. I did not believe for one second these characters had fallen in love in a two week span of time. I felt like they had zero chemistry, and the steamy scenes felt awfully forced. There were things that I did enjoy about the book including the many references to Emma’s Korean heritage and the Korean food descriptions really made my mouth water. That being said, I did feel myself zone out at times of reading this book. While it wasn’t for me, other readers might enjoy it more!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Ultimately could not get through this book. Found the premise promising, but I could not connect to the characters and it was fairly predictable.

This was a cute rom-com with some cultural and familial aspects that added to the story. It was lighthearted and emotional and the pacing was good. Overall I enjoyed this book and the writing, and always seem to love a cooking trope!

This was cute and I'd recommend it for a quick romcom.

With lovable characters and an enchanting storyline, That Prince is Mine is a quirky RomCom that quickly leads readers into the joys and trials of falling in love. As a main character, Emma Yoon is both endearing and strong. She has an intense love of family and food and joins together her two passions as a culinary instructor who focuses on teaching her students how to prepare beautifully intricate Korean royal court cuisine. In typical RomCom fashion, the joy that our MC gets from both her career and her personal relationships, with her father and her students, fulfill her in ways that make her life feel complete. Until she meets Michael Aubert, a captivating guest professor at USC.

The tension between Emma and Michael is palpable from the beginning and brilliantly written. They have an easy banter that grows as they get to know one another. Problems arise for the two of them quickly as Emma’s desire to stay away from love comes to blows with Michaels insistence that true love is alive and present in everything the two of them do together.

While the characters themselves were so easy to fall in love with, the reluctance for either party to see the world from the other’s point of view was frustrating after a while. The tension between the two of them was not enough to hold on to the complexity of the plot. Michael is in fact a guest professor at USC, but he is also secretly the prince of a small country. The addition of this secret and the stress that it brings, in addition to the reluctance of Emma to follow her heart led to my own reluctance to finish the book quickly. I know that stubbornness is a feature of many real people, but too much can kill the flow of the book and eventually prevents character growth that would be expected from the genre. While this may break expectations from the genre, it wasn’t a fun way of going about it.

Despite my hesitations about several of the plot lines, it was ultimately a book that gave new meaning to falling in love. From familial obligations to the discrepancies in background and upbringing, Emma and Michael are each surrounded by reasons that they should fall in love. These reasons add to the complexity of the plot in ways that helped drive it forward, but added to the difficulty in pacing.

3.5/5 stars for this darling RomCom

Thank you to Netagalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

In That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee, LA culinary instructor Emma Yoon teaches court cuisine to young women who want to marry into exclusive Korean families. Her dream is to open a culinary school. At 28 and single, she doesn’t believe in love and plans to have her matchmaker godmother match her when she’s ready to marry. However, when her grandmother’s competition tries to sabotage her, she lets her grandmother set her up on a series of dates. She sees Michel while on a date and is drawn to him.

Prince Michel Aubert is a hopeless romantic who believes in happenstance, love, and happily ever after. On the verge of assuming the throne and becoming king, he has to think about his duty to his people. His parents are planning to force him into an arranged marriage, which he doesn’t want. But he’s gotten a three-month reprieve to find an all-consuming love in America because Michel wants a love like his parents share.

Watching Michel and Emma awkwardly trying to date and find a mate, which neither is prepared for, is entertaining. They’re so together and competent professionally that the difference is striking and fascinating. Michel and Emma share an intense chemistry that deepens into a life-changing connection once they spend time together and get to know each other. They find their home in each other but are afraid of the intensity of their love for each other and the unexpectedness of falling in love so quickly. Emma exposes him to new experiences. But instead of enjoying that time with him, she obsesses over their incompatibility because of differences in their social status. While understandable, it’s frustrating.

When Lee’s characters passionately fall in love, she expresses it in her vibrant description of their feelings. Lee writes the most sensual character-driven love scenes that always fit her characters’ personalities. She incorporates wonderful use of the characters’ senses to develop the characters, explore and develop their relationship, and for vivid world-building. The love scenes are sensual, emotional, steamy, and funny, evolving the characters’ relationship and the story. She explores the nature of genuine, selfless love. Lee is excellent at developing her characters and following through on those characters and how each part of the story grows out of who they are. This may be Lee’s most steamy novel I’ve read so far. However, surprisingly it’s not my favorite because I had trouble connecting with the characters. I don’t know if it’s because they’re so frustrating to me or because they became intimate before resolving vital issues or being honest with each other. I’m not sure.

In this novel, she explores what happens when you become so driven by fear that you make your life plans but limit what you allow yourself to have in your life through the character of Emma. Further, Lee shows how complicated your life and choices can be when you fall in love if fear is such a big part of your life. However, the story becomes frustrating because Emma and Michel repeatedly refuse to honestly communicate their feelings and what they want from this relationship. They learn that sometimes your life plans change because people come into your life that fit you, and love requires you to think about and change your dreams, goals, and desires because of the love you feel for them. Lee also explores racial issues impacting interracial marriages between an Asian and non-Asian partner. Michel is French and wealthier than Emma. Emma is rightfully concerned about how his family and country people will treat her because of their differences.

I love Lee’s engaging, funny, and chemistry-filled character interactions. The exploration of Emma’s relationship with her family and their interactions over food preparations and eating meals is familiar and relatable. Michel’s cousin Gabriel is hilarious. He keeps it real with Michel, challenges him, and makes him think about his choices and what he wants from his life, while giving him a tough time. At the same time, he supports, encourages, and him. Michel needs all the help he can get because he’s so sheltered. Their love for each other is clear. Michel’s relationship with his bodyguard, Sophie, is similar. Their friendship is honest. I was deeply invested in the secondary relationship between her and Gabriel, which parallels Michel’s and Emma’s. It’s filled with sparks, humor, and a bit of angst.

That Prince is Mine is a sweet, funny, steamy, sexy, emotional, fast-paced romance.

St. Martin’s Griffin provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

I really couldn't get into this story.
It felt so slow, yet the two main characters fell in love asap.
Everything about this felt so unrealistic.
The MMC was a prince and wanted to find a woman in 3 months to take her back to his country. It kind of gave me the ick.
The FMC didn't believe in love but wanted a perfect on paper husband.
It all just felt really forced and not organic.
It also felt like they fell in love with each other strictly based on looks and attractiveness.
Idk the whole thing was just forced and boring.
It wasn't for me.
However, if you like books about royal romance and cooking, this could be for you!

While the royal romance premise had promise, the execution fell a bit flat. The characters lacked depth, making it hard to fully connect with their journey. The plot felt predictable, and some conflicts resolved too easily. Still, it's a decent pick if you're after a light, escapist read—just don't expect too many surprises.

This book was fine. I enjoyed the characters, and the initial set up of the story. I appreciated Emma’s character and how she was trying to put her career and goals first. Michel was a fun character as well, I liked how he was really trying to be as normal as possible despite his royal background. However, the romance just didn’t hit for me, it felt a little too surface level. The pacing was also just a little off for me. I did enjoy the food aspects that were implemented. I would still be open to reading more books by Jayci Lee in the future, but this one was unfortunately a bit of a miss for me.

What I like about Jayci Lee's writing is that it's so easy to read and bingeable.

That said, I felt like this book was entirely too long (repetitive), and I found myself not caring about the couple. We knew a lot more about Emma than Michel, yet neither character really had much personality. I found myself rolling my eyes at many of their interactions, and their relationship lacked the depth I look for in characters. I didn't get a sense of why they loved each other, aside from their intense physical attraction to each other, and they lacked the emotional maturity I would expect to see in someone their ages.

There were shockingly low stakes for their relationship, which was unexpected considering one of the characters is a prince who has to eventually go home to start ruling his country. The ending was disappointing and rushed.

I liked a lot of the side characters, and learning about Korean food.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Multiple detailed spice scenes and a lot of tension that got distracting.

The food seemed really yummy and I’d have loved to have a food pairing as I read. The romance was … not there. No build up or anything. It was fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee!

Emma doesn’t believe love is what will make a marriage last, in fact it might be what causes it to fail. Instead, you’ve got to be matched up to someone who will make a marriage shine on paper as perfectly compatible. That’s the key, right? Michel is escaping royal duties in California presenting as a professor and attempting to get a taste of “normal” life and he has a front row seat to Emma’s matchmaker dates going off the rails. As it turns out, Emma’s cooking wont be the only thing Michel falls in love with.

When you’re looking for a cute, fluffy romance- this is it. The premise is great and I love a good foodie trope. That Prince is Mine scratched an itch but left me… still hungry? I needed a stronger plot I think and I wasn’t as head over heels for the characters as I had hoped. I adored the cooking and side characters, the romance still was a sweet one, and the ending gives you that happily ever after feel good feeling. A solid, enjoyable read but man am I craving something more.

Thank you to @netgalley for my E-ARC and to @stmartinspress for my finished copy.

Cute but predictable romance. The secrets and miscommunication with an almost third act breakup. This felt like a spicy hallmark movie which might sound bad to some but I do love a hallmark movie. It did feel a bit dragged out at times but overall the ending was cute and the characters were pretty lovable.

Jayci Lee is one of my favorite authors. She somehow manages to balance understanding what's in the head of each of the main characters, while still writing in third person. That Prince is mine is no exception to this. I had so much fun reading this. There were moments that I outright giggled and wanted to kick my feet in the air at the adorableness of the interactions of the main characters. The main trope of this book is secret royalty (is that a real trope?) but it relies heavy on the lie of omission. While I understand the motivations of the Michel (main male love interest) for Emma to fall for him without knowing his title, there's much that could've been solved with the characters speaking to each other. There's enough "will they won't they" with him being a royal and what their future holds without the lie of omission that accompanies a decent chunk of the story.

I will also note that this is open door compared to the other works I've read that were more fade to black scenes. These scenes were done well and I thought really added to the love/lust pull that we have going on with the characters.

Overall, I had so much fun with this and can look past the communication component. Without getting into the spoiler portions, I did very much appreciate how this novel was wrapped up post third act breakup. Jayci Lee will remain a favorite author of mine and I cannot wait to continue to read whatever I can get my hands on.

In That Prince is Mine, Jayci Lee serves up a deliciously charming romance brimming with heart, humor, and culture. Emma Yoon, a love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor, dreams of opening her own culinary school. Her carefully planned life is thrown into disarray when rival matchmakers target her godmother’s reputation, forcing Emma to find a perfect husband on paper. Enter the swoon-worthy Professor Michel Chevalier, who turns out to be not just a professor, but a prince in disguise.

Michel, facing a future of an arranged marriage to fulfill royal duties, escapes to Los Angeles, determined to find a woman who loves him for who he is, not his title. Fate leads him to Emma, and despite her reluctance to embrace love, their undeniable chemistry starts to challenge her carefully guarded heart.

Lee’s writing is a perfect blend of lighthearted romance and emotional depth, skillfully weaving in themes of identity, duty, and the clash between tradition and personal desires. The chemistry between Emma and Michel is palpable, and the storyline keeps you hooked with its perfect balance of conflict and sweetness. Emma’s reluctance to believe in love adds layers to her character, and Michel’s devotion to finding real love rather than settling for an arranged marriage is both refreshing and endearing.

That Prince is Mine is an enchanting read for fans of sweet, opposites-attract romances, with the added charm of cultural richness and royal intrigue. It’s a story about taking risks in love, fighting for what’s important, and realizing that sometimes, the most unexpected person could be your happily ever after.

This was a sweet novel that explores the love of baking and when you meet the the person who loves you for you despite whoever you are.

That Prince Is Mine is a sweet, light romance following the classic "royalty meets regular person and falls in love" trope. While enjoyable, it didn’t quite stand out for me. The couple’s instant love lacked build-up, and I found myself a bit bored at times. I kept hoping for a unique twist to set it apart, but it followed a familiar path without much surprise. That said, the writing is smooth, and fans of fairytale romances may still find it charming.

ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Having things in common isn’t what makes people compatible. Sometimes it’s how their differences complement each other that makes them perfect for one another."

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC. As someone who's favorite move growing up was "The Prince and Me" and has an obsession with Korean Food, I requested this copy so fast its honestly embarassing.

Rags to riches stories just always hit so hard, and while I wouldn't say Emma is a "rags" girl, the class and social differences that come with being a commoner versus literal royality is just a trope that brings depth and awareness to a story in a way that I love--seeing two people relate and also struggle on their commonalities and differences while growing up in two very different circumstances.

At the end of the day the hopes I had for their story weren't fully met. I had a fun time reading it and getting to know the characters, but it's just not a book that truly stands out to me. I read so many contemporary romances and they often blend together, so if they don't do something to stand out, they'll sadly fall into a realm of forgetable for me. Would I still recommend readers to this romance? Absolutely! But If someone came to me asking for a "must read", this one wouldn't hit the top for me.

Where I feel like Emma really was well rounded and we understood who she was and her core values, Michel fell flat in contrast. I feel like I remember very little about him other than his desire to not be in an arranged marriage, and the banter with his cousin. With Emma we learn about her and her food, and inspirations, where at the end of the day I really did question with Michel "Is this about him finding a bride, or about him finding Emma." I often felt like he could've had the same result with another person under the right circumstances, and his asking of Emma to give up everything she's worked for made me really question him and his love--until he did the thing (iykyk). Emma's not perfect, don't get me wrong, and her inserting her own insecurities into their friends relationship and future made me want to throttle her at times too.

So, while I loved their happily ever after, I just feel left with too many questions to buy it 100%. Even so, reaching the end, I was invested enough that before reading the epilogue I was sad it was over, and was asking for an entire book dedicated to Princess Emma--but we'll equate that to the sappy teenage romcom side of me, that is still begging for Princess Diaries 3.