Couldn't put it down! Super cute romance with a little bit of spice, and an extra little love story on the side. Also, I could go for some good Korean food right about now. LOL

Imagine: a Korean American young woman whose godmother is a matchmaker searching for her perfect match meets an incognito European prince who is searching for a loving mate so as not to have to marry his since birth predetermined mate. Source for a cute story for certain.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this lighthearted Royal romance…

A prince in disguise falls for a career focused girl! And vice versa…

Trying to get her Royal Court Cuisine cooking class running, Emma is also ready to be matched by her matchmaker godmother. While investing her time into many arranged dates she meets Michel… a visiting professor at USC, with a secret only him, his cousin and his bodyguard all know… he’s the crown prince of Rouleme, who is also looking for love to avoid his arrangements back home.

I found the arrange marriage/match making of it all fascinating. I don’t think I’ve read that in a RomCom yet. I fell hard for the secret prince story line and wish I had been the one Michel swooped up! Besides the main characters I found the side ones just as great! Emma’s loving Dad, meddling Godmother and Michel’s cousin and bodyguard!

If you’re looking for something easy breezy I would recommend this one!

Thank you St Martins Griffin
Releases 7/30

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Piping hot and tons of fun, That Prince is Mine pits a royal court cuisine instructor against a professor who’s hiding a princely secret. This is the best Lee I’ve read in years, and it’s officially my favorite book of hers.

Emma Yoon has a very specific skill, and that’s teaching young women to cook in the way Korean royal court chefs do. This attracts the attention of a specific subset of young ladies who are looking to marry up into royalty – something about which ambitious Emma couldn’t care less. She runs classes in Los Angeles and hopes to create her own culinary school.

Emma is approaching her twenty-ninth birthday, and unfortunately, her professional matchmaker of a godmother Auntie Soo – who is her business partner – wants to arrange a marriage for her. Emma doesn’t want to get married, but her Auntie points out that it looks bad for Emma to be an unmarried woman partnered with a successful woman. On top of that her godmother has rivals up the wazoo willing to pounce at any minute. To maintain Auntie Soo’s reputation, Emma goes out on a long series of matseons – or blind dates – to find a man who looks good enough on paper to shut everyone up. She’d always planned on an arranged marriage anyway.

Michael is the Prince of Roulme, and has no intention of marrying a woman picked out for him by his elders. He wants to marry someone he can, at the very least, respect and like, so he’s working as a college professor and keeping a low profile while he searches.

Emma and Michael have their meet cute and start to fall for each other. Sexual combustibility follows. Might their feelings about true love be challenged by their sudden connection? Is Emma really ready to run her own royal household after teaching women the ins and outs of all of those protocols – even if it means learning procedures she’s never experienced before? And what will this mean for Emma’s dream – and Auntie Soo’s matchmaking service?

This is, quite simply, a spicy, fun, good-natured light-hearted romp of a romance. Lee’s description of food is particularly notable and fantastic; every dish sounds delightful.

Both Emma and Michael are likable in different ways. Emma is strong, driven, smart, and understandably feels a bit railroaded into this marriage thing. Michael is fantastic in his own way, wanting to be seen as more than a crown. He knows he must surrender to royal duty someday but ah, until then… And Auntie Soo is a delight as well – sometimes in spite of herself. 

That Prince is Mine is lovely, warm-hearted and delightful, quite the worthy romantic confection.

This was such a delightful read! To me it's almost perfect - and that's a high bar for a rom com to meet so well done!

Emma and Michel are perfect from date (day) one and although there weren't too many surprises, I really liked the pacing of this story. I was getting a bit fidgety around the 85% mark because I did not know how it was going to resolve itself by 100% but whew we got there !

I loved the dual perspective and how it was used in this book - and the supremely amazing side characters really took it to a new level for me. BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO!

After devouring Jayci Lee's past (and interconnected) romances, I was automatically intrigued by this one, especially with its royal romance trope. While, yes, the MC's love interest is a secret prince, it doesn't feel like countless other versions of the trope I've already read. Like, this one sort of put a unique spin on the subject. (And no, this one is not connected to Lee's past characters but it doesn't need to be.)

Told in dual points of view, Lee continues to use her now-signature compelling writing style that pulled me in and wanted to keep reading to discover what would happen next. This story, which was not a closed-door romance IYKYK, was very cute and a perfect summer beach read. For sure.

Ok, gotta go now because this book has me craving madeleine cookies.

💙👑 That Prince is Mine ARC Review 👑💙

Thank you so much to Jayci Lee and St Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book!

That Prince is Mine is a standalone contemporary romance. Emma is a successful culinary educator in LA. Shes convinced that love doesn’t lead to lasting relationships, so she allows her matchmaker aunt to match her with a potential husband. But when she meets Michel at a coffee shop, she learns that maybe there’s more to love than just being compatible on paper

This was a cute story. I’m a sucker for the “royalty in disguise” trope so I enjoyed that part of it. Michel was a great character and I really liked him in this book. I liked Emma as a whole, but I did find some of her hesitations to be a little tedious as they continued for most of the book

Overall this was a solid three star read. The overall story was cute and it was a fun read. This book was a smidge of a slow burn but did have a few spicy scenes in the second half, so overall two flames for spice

If you’re a fan of royal romances with cute stories and fun characters, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please note: review will be posted on amazon upon publication

I loved getting to learn more about Korean culture and cuisine. All the food mentioned sounded so good. I also enjoyed the plot because who doesn’t love the hidden identity trope with a prince? The writing, however, wasn’t for me. I felt that the descriptions were a little repetitive and it didn’t help bring an image to mind. I also didn’t feel very connected to the characters and felt they were a bit flat in my opinion. For me, the smut in the book didn’t match the vibe of the book because it leaned more towards the cute rom-com vibe and then the spicy scenes felt out of place for me.

The review is published on my Instagram account on June 6th, 2024.

🎀 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆.” 🎀

🌷 ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs 🌷

2.5 ✮ honestly, I didn’t hate it. it was pretty cute towards the middle but lost me in the beginning and end.

i think they got together way too quickly to my liking, and then the third act breakup happened too late into the story that made me not so invested. there was no balance. i also feel like stakes weren’t as high as they should’ve been. like he’s literally a prince but they just kissed in public like it was nothing and im just like? isn’t it supposed to be a little discreet?

👑 ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ 👑

🇰🇷 the culture. emma, our female main character, is korean so we got to learn more about her culture and traditions which I enjoyed very much!! it’s very refreshing to have a new type of character as most I’ve read are american.

🤴🏻the prince. whilst I didn’t really simp for him all that much, I still have to admit he is pretty adorable. he was so down bad for her and so in love that I was just like wow 🥹🥹 so cutesie <33

🍜 the food. emma is a korean cuisine instructor and the way she always described the food was so amazing i was literally getting hungry just from her words. especially when ive just been eating cereal and ramen all week, now i wanna go to a korean restaurant and get some bibimbap or something 🤭🤭

🧸 ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴏɴ 🧸

sorry, again, for the short reviews 😭 im trying I promise <3 overall this was super adorable, for fans of insta-love and cutesie, rom-com vibes, this may be the book for you !! 🩷

thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

This was cute and much spicier than expected. Predictable but in a comforting way, and the characters were actually surprising in unexpected ways. I absolutely loved his bodyguard Sophie and their friendship. I really enjoyed learning more about Korean customs as well, especially the food, and how Emma showed Michel her home. I was actually torn on the best resolution for them and felt for them. I was happy with the resolution. I wished we had gotten more of their relationship growth through their shared interests as much as we got the sexual attraction, but overall an enjoyable romance.

A light hearted, easy romance read - kind of hallmark meets The Prince and Me with a touch of spice. Looking for a sweet modern royal (in disguise) type romance? This one should fit the bill.

While it was a cute and easy read, I will say that the story felt like it had me a bit more to it in the first part of the novel. I can’t say I was as invested in the second half. While not a perfect fit for me, I can definitely see recommending it and can think of a number of friends whom this would be a very good pick for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early, gifted copy!

I absolutely loved this book! Emma and Michel were perfect together!! The chemistry between them was there from the get go. Their different backgrounds worked well together and fit. And this book was way steamier than I was anticipating based on that cover but I’m not complaining. This was a top read for me and I absolutely enjoyed every bit of this book. I’d read three more books about this couple!

I am a sucker for royalty romance books and this was such a good one. I love the characters and their growing relationships. The cute moments are the right level of cuteness and it made me so happy to see them throughout the novel.

This is a fun and quick contemporary romance with secret royalty and mouth-watering cuisine. It's the perfect palate cleanser (pun intended) for me after reading a pretty heavy and dark fantasy. Switching to this lighter and steamy romance where a prince falls for a cooking instructor was a great choice. The author's writing style, the love story, and the yummy dishes all made for a fun and enjoyable read.

Emma's a Korean royal court cuisine instructor, and her dishes sound mouth-wateringly delicious. Michel sounds delicious, too. A professor and prince in disguise with a heart of gold - what's not to love? The story is told from a dual POV, which I liked because you could understand their thoughts when they made some pretty unreasonable assumptions. Their romance is as delicious and spicy as some of the food!

Emma and Michel fall for each other pretty quickly, especially Michel, and though insta-love isn't my favorite trope, it made sense with this couple. They have a lovely connection, though family expectations and pressures, secret identities, and more prove to be major obstacles in their relationship. It's interesting to see how they handle all that comes their way.

There are also two secondary characters, Sophie and Gabriel, that I loved. I kind of hope they have their own story because they definitely need a happily ever after together!! Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This was a fantastic quick easy read romance. I enjoyed the cultural sidelines and food details. The chemistry is palpable and a medium burn. There are a few spicy scenes and they are well written and stay within the stories romance level. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely bring look back for more reads.

Emma de 28 años es instructora culinaria y quiere poner una escuela culinaria, no cree en el amor, más bien si cree en el, pero no cree que una relación pueda sobrevivir sólo por/con amor y que es mejor la compatibilidad basada en datos y antecedentes. Su madrina es una famosa casamentera a la que su reputación se ve afectada por tener a una ahijada que es soltera y para la sociedad coreana le es imposible creer que sea buena en su trabajo sí no puede encontrele un marido.

Michel es un príncipe que está de incógnito en EUA y trabajando como profesor por algunos meses para encontrar el amor. Conoció a Emma en un restaurante donde siempre la veía en una cita y fue atracción a primera vista.

Mientras salían cada uno lo hacia con un propósito diferente, Michel quiere enamorla y hacer que acepte casarse con el, Emma quiere salir para dejar de sentir cosas por él y poder seguir buscando un marido.

Los dos se gustan, pero hay un problema: él tiene que regresar a su país, ella está muy feliz en Estados Unidos y quiere hacer crecer su negocio, ¿renunciará a sus sueños por amor?




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a cute, fluffy romance. Emma is a culinary instructor who’s matchmaking godmother is trying to find her a husband. Michel is a Prince disguising himself as a professor at USC. For the most part the romance is straight-forward and kind of reminds me of the movie The Prince & Me, except with older characters. I thought their romance was very sweet with some spicy scenes here and there, but for the most part I thought this story was wholesome.

I did like the family themes in this book. Emma is Korean-American and she has a great support system in her dad, brother and godmother. I loved the Korean foods mentioned in the story. On the other side, I loved Michel’s relationship with his cousin, Gabriel. Both characters valued family and I thought they made a good match.

There isn’t much conflict between Michel and Emma except for the part of him being a prince and what that means for her when he tells her about it.

My Final Thoughts:

This one is an easy read. It’s a fluffy romance without much conflict. I thought the family, different cultures, and food themes were nice. Emma and Michel’s romance is very sweet so if you are into sweet, easy romances, you will enjoy this one.

Things that I liked:

* How food is a big part of their story
* The the royalty is not British Royalty
* Differenty cultural backgrounds

Thinks that I did not like as much
* There seemed little character development from our MCs
* Lack of communication (this is peeve of mine!)

It took me a while to read this book, kept putting it down and picking up another story.

It was a cute read, but nothing really seemed to happen.

3.5 rounding up to a 3.

First off, I really enjoyed the premise and the characters. I actually enjoyed the side characters more than the main characters. I have been a long term fan of Kdrama and have always been amazed by Korean cuisine which I’ve seen through the dramas I’ve watched. Especially the ones made for kings. So I naturally enjoyed the descriptions of meals. What I missed was some more plot to the story. Even though I enjoyed this to an extent, something felt missing throughout. The spice was really good but I think it was overdone. I think the story would have been better and more exciting if the extra spice was replaced with a more sounding plot. The story felt rather lukewarm to me.

Tropes
🍜Friends to lovers
🥢Secret identity
🍚Korean cuisine
🍜Lots of spice

Thank you to the St.Martin’s Griffin for my ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book was so cute and fun. I don't usually grab royal romance, but this had me hooked. Jacyi Lee is an autobuy for sure.