I loved reading “That Prince is mine” by Jayci Lee!

This story combines romance, cooking, and royalty! I mean you can’t go wrong with a Prince in disguise trope!

This book was so cute and kept my attention - I didn’t want to put it down! I will definitely be recommending this book!

Thank you to netgalley and st. Martins press for this ARC

Jayci Lee, thank you. I’m not always a fan of “insta-love” but i AM a fan of prince michel. these two were so sweet and lovely through the whole thing. The stakes were high and I was crying. The argument of figuring out the best way to love a person, to let them go or hold on for dear life. And the merit of an arranged marriage vs finding “true love.” I loved this one so much!

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There are times in your life you need a happy story, because you want light, sweet and a joyful story. This book was all of that, and though a little predictable from a reader perspective, that did nothing to detract from the story for me. It was like watching a fluffy K- drama crossed with a Hallmark movie with just a touch of spice.

Emma is a teacher of Korean Royal cuisine and Michel is an undercover European Prince, who is hiding and trying to find true, real love before taking the throne. Emma’s auntie is on of the best Korean matchmakers, and throughout the story, there’s some family guilt on both sides that lead to some big conflicts that, yes, could have been easily resolved with some communication. But, where would the fun, or book be with that? I loved that even though I knew where this was going, I was so happy to read it anyway. Even secondary characters found love! There are some times you need a romance to be an indulgent, happy read. In this? This book hit all the right flavors for me.

Spicy dual point of view mf instalove romance. Very cute book and being half Korean I really appreciated the Korean representation. This was a great cozy read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

That Prince of Mine by Jayci Lee was a sweet wonderful romantic novel. Emma Yoon, our heroine, is a culinary instructor teaching her love of Korean food to young ladies who want to learn all things Korean. Emma is determined to own a Korean royal court cuisine cooking school. Her Godmother Auntie Soo is a matchmaker, and constantly tries to find a match for Emma; but she doesn’t seem to find the perfect man, who is compatible, has morals and respect, not to mention love.

Michel Chevalier, our hero, is a visiting professor at USC, who is spending three months in the United States. Michel is secretly the Crown Prince of Rouleme, and is determined to find someone to spend his life with, instead of being stuck in a loveless arranged marriage. His father, the King, plans to abdicate from the throne in favor of retirement, with Michel taking the throne.

While at a restaurant, Emma notices a charming, handsome man who is watching her on a blind date. Michel stops at the local café a number of times, as he watches as she continually parts ways with her dates: he finds himself being attracted to her, and decides to ask her to go out with him on a date; as Emma herself is totally attracted to this gorgeous charming man. The banter and wit between them were fun and very enjoyable. It was a delight to see them falling in love, as they both were perfect for each other. I loved all the wonderful Korean cuisine that Emma showed Michel, and his bodyguard, Sophia. I really loved all the characters, such as Emma, Michel, Sophia, Gabriel, Auntie Soo, her father, etc. I also liked that Sophia and Gabriel were avoiding a long-time friendship, and would also end up together.

That Prince is Mine was a wonderful, lighthearted, heartwarming, fun, cute, charming, engaging royal romance, with a bit of spice along the way. That Prince is Mine was so very well written by Jayci Lee. If you enjoy modern royal romances, you should be reading That Prince is Mine. I totally enjoyed the book.

This was super cute! Nothing too special but worth it! Your typical royal hidden identity with that added spice!

3.5 stars.

I have liked a few of Jayci Lee's other books, so I was excited to give "That Prince is Mine" a read. While I did enjoy this book, I must say, I didn't love it like I hoped I would. It's not bad, it's just "fine." I loved the exploration of Emma's Korean heritage through food. This book made me want to learn how to cook a few traditional Korean dishes. It made me hungry! I liked both Emma and Michel as separate characters. Emma is a Korean culinary cuisine instructor trying to expand her business and move from her home kitchen to a more commercial space to host more classes Michel is in America posing as a visiting professor at USC, but he is secretly a prince! OooOoOoOoOo! One night while in a cafe, Michel sees Emma on a bad date and pays for her bill, eventually striking up a conversation with her and becoming obsessed with her in the process. Therein lies my issue with this story. I didn't really believe in Emma and Michel's romance, not until the very end of the book. It just felt way too convenient that they happened upon each other at the right time and that Michel instantly fell in love with Emma without even knowing her name while he was looking for a wife and while she was looking for a husband. I get the "love at first sight" angle, but I feel like their whirlwind romance could have benefitted from (any!!) pining, yearning, tension, slow-burn, whatever you want to call it. From Michel's end, it felt more like a marriage of convenience than a true love connection between the two of them. Emma decides that she wants to stop going on the dates that her godmother picked for her based on her matchmaking skills so she can pursue a fling with Michel. They eventually fall in love... the problem is that Michel has to return to his small European country in a few short weeks, and Emma is bound to stay state-side because of her family connections and her growing business venture. I will say that the balance of sweetness and spiciness is really good here. It's far spicier than I expected it to be, which was much needed in the absence of any longing type of feelings. It lacks a lot of depth, which makes this the perfect fluffy poolside summertime read. It definitely reminded me of that Netflix Christmas movie with Vanessa Hudgens, so I think fans of Hallmark-y movies like that will be in love. Like I said, this is not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not my favorite book. I did love the audiobook narration by Olivia Song. She does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jayci Lee, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for giving me an eARC of this book! All thoughts are my own!

I liked that this royal romance was a different culture like Korean and not the typically England royal romance.

I will say though, that it look me forever to get into this book and to finish it. I really didn’t connect with the plot or the characters, so I think maybe the book just wasn’t for me. I don’t know if maybe it was just too long or if it was that the pace wasn’t fast and just sort of drug on for me.

I do think others will enjoy this book because it isn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me.

3 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Let’s get right into it, Emma is a Korean cuisine instructor who just so happens to run into Michel who is a secret Prince.

They both come to an agreement to go on dates and see each other until he leaves to go back to his in 3 months. Well we all know what happens before time is up. Someone has to make a decision on what they’re going to do. Will Emma give up everything after learning that he’s a prince? Or will Michel abdicate his throne in order to stay in the states with Emma?

This was a cute pallet cleanser read. Idk why it bothered me that Emma had like no friends in this book for some reason lol Like she had a few people she helped cook but I didn’t feel any connections to any other characters. 🤷🏽‍♀️

This was such a cute book, Jayci has always a amazing way with words and this is a example.
Love it so damn much.
This was such a cute book.
The couple and all their interactions to die for 😍
The korean add on perfection as well , now im just starving and hungry 🤣. But we’ll definitely will recommend
This was fun and super easy to read, finished incredibly fast couldn’t put it down . Definitely will be recommending

I want to thank everyone for the early copy of That Prince is Mine.

Having read one of Jayci Lee’s other books, I was excited to jump into this one but it unfortunately felt flat for me. I think my biggest take away was how much I disliked the male main character. He was instantly in love with the FMC, before he even knew her name, and it all felt fake/calculated towards them both just finding a spouse.

I unforunately DNF’d this book.

I’m finding out that I do enjoy a royal romance! This was so cute and a quick read! I’ll definitely be reading more from Jayci Lee!

That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee was a pure delight to read. The story begins with Emma a young woman whose passion for the art of cooking and her dreams to start her own culinary school were so much fun to read along with. She has big dreams and a strong head on her shoulders but would like a compatible partner to share life with. Enter her not fairy but actual Godmother Auntie Soo who just happens to be an accomplished matchmaker. Auntie Soo has an excellent reputation for making strong matches and Emma definately doesn’t want to be the one who wrecks that streak. She goes along with the dates she sets up and though thoroughly researched and in theory should be a hit have left a lot to be desired. But here comes Michel. A secret prince posing as just your average visiting professor. He watches her meet these men at the local cafe and part ways after a polite amount of time has gone by. Michel witnesses her latest date end poorly and interjects. This sparks a series of events that were just so much fun to experience. The banter and quick wit was unstoppable and there was never a dull moment. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC

The Prince is Mine follows Emma, a Korean culinary instructor, and Michel, a prince who has come to America to visit his cousin and hopefully find someone he can marry for love. He has an arranged marriage back home with a childhood friend and neither of them want to marry each other. While Emma is meeting matches set up by her matchmaker godmother so that she can find a “perfect on paper” man to marry, she meets Michel. They hit it off right away but.Emma knows they have a time limit before Michel will need to return to his homeland, even before he admits to being a prince.

I enjoyed the romance between Emma and Michel and their obvious passion for each other. I loved that Emma got so excited about seeing things from his “first time” perspective when they got to go out and do simple things. Emma is very close with her family, except for her mother who left when she was younger. She has a skewed perception of love thanks to her parents so you’re really rooting for Michel to win her over.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Story: 3.5⭐️
Narration: 3⭐️
Overall: 3.25⭐️

The synopsis of this book gave me “The Prince & Me” vibes which had me feeling nostalgic and looking forward to reading it. For the most part, it delivered on that with some added spice, but also fell somewhat flat for me.

One thing I loved was Emma’s foodie personality and that she was an instructor of specialized cuisine from her Korean culture. So many of the food description sounded delicious and full of flavor. Honestly, I was more interested in that than the romance element.

The relationship between Emma and Michel felt very instalust/instalove, and I think that was partly due to feeling like I was dropped into a story that had already been going on for a while. Michel had been watching Emma for quite some time in the cafe before they spoke. I did enjoy the interactions between them as their relationship grew, but I just didn’t feel much of a connection.

Additionally, this book was far too long with not a lot going on to make the extra pages needed. I think it could’ve been significantly trimmed down without losing the heart of the story.

Unfortunately, I think it's probably time for me to say that this author just isn't for me. I've tried several of her books now, and the writing never really pulls me in. The cover is adorable and the premise sounded fun, so I decided to give this one a go anyways. But it failed to hook me, and ended up being a DNF for me.

An adorable lighthearted read with a European Prince and lots of food. A favorite trope of let’s get it out of our system and then they fell in love. Also a hero that sacrifices himself to be with the love of his life. The book was full of many swoon worthy moments had a bit of spice that I was not expecting but appreciated.

I wish I liked this book more but oh well. I definitely could see this being a much better read if it had more.. story? details? im not sure really. I didn’t really feel anything for the prince, he was just a character? Didn’t know much about him and didn’t get to grow an attachment. The romance was nice though! It was cute and fluffy, a quick read as well.

I love a Royal Romance so was really excited for this one. I do feel like parts of it did not live up to my expectations, the spicy scenes seemed awkward or forced at times and of course there is a massive miscommunication trope. Their romance was supposed to have a deadline, and even though Michel wanted to extend that, he never voiced it and acted kinda annoyed that Emma was going about planning her life and looking for a commercial kitchen. There was some family drama on Michel's side and I enjoyed the romance between his cousin and his bodyguard more, tbh.

3.5/5

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.