3,5 Stars

“The Prince is Mine” by Jayci Lee is an enchanting royal/commoner love story filled with the most delightful descriptions of Korean cuisine. Emma and Michel were adorable and lovable; I couldn't stop squealing over their budding romance.

The slow burn and palpable tension between the characters were utterly delicious. The inclusion of Korean traditions and culinary delights added depth.

This book is like a Hallmark movie in print—charming, heartwarming, and thoroughly enjoyable. I’ll look for more from Jayci Lee in the future!

I just finished reading "That Prince is Mine" and was really surprised by how much I liked it. The story is about Emma, a Korean-American chef in L.A., who doesn’t really believe in love but meets Michel, a professor who’s actually a prince. Their romance feels real and natural, not forced or too fairytale-like.

Emma is a great character—smart, independent, and easy to like. Michel is kind and respectful, making their relationship believable and sweet. The book also does a great job showing Korean culture and food, which makes Emma's character even more interesting.

The side characters, like Emma’s godmother and Michel’s friends, add a lot to the story. It’s nice that the book avoids common romance clichés. Michel tells Emma he’s a prince early on, so the drama comes from real-life issues, not misunderstandings.

Overall, "That Prince is Mine" is a fun, heartwarming read with just the right amount of romance. I loved the mix of sweetness and a bit of spice. If you’re looking for a charming, modern love story, this book is perfect. I highly recommend it for its great characters, engaging story, and lovely depiction of a cross-cultural romance.

A delightful rom-com. Love reading Emma’s and Michel’s story. I’m hoping there will be more books. Recommend for a relaxing fun read at the beach.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It felt very bright, light and happy. I love Cinderella books! Lots of ups & downs in Emma and Michel’s love story but oh so worth it! I definitely recommend!

Being the second Jayci Lee book I read, she once again creates a natural and intriguing story line, causing you to not want to put the book down. There was not a lot of build up to the characters meeting, but appreciated that the more I got into the book and could just jump in to Emma and Michel's story. The characters each had their own distinct personality and flaws, often being in the way of their own happiness, which as the reader could sometimes be nerve-racking. There was just enough chemistry, spice and tension to allow the relationships between characters to slowly develop and grow. I also appreciated the minor characters were given short sections for their own stories to develop, and the mix of different cultures and perspectives. What else can bring people together more than food?

Jayci Lee is a must read author for me. Her characters in this one are a delight, the romance is spectacular. I simply could not get enough of the story, this was as delicious as food mentioned.

A charming, sweet and spicy romance that races against the clock. Although the romance is delightful, it is slightly predictable. Overall a great read.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

“That Prince is Mine” by Jayci Lee
Seeking the Perfect Match
This is a fun easy read with some spice and a dash of wisdom (If you really listen to the characters). I really did find this story un-put-down-able ! And yes, I did skip over the spicy scenes. Happy Reading ! !

Emma Yoon owns and operates her small business as a culinary instructor specializing in Korean Royal cuisine out of her house. Her godmother runs a matchmaking business and it's time for Emma to find the husband who checks all her boxes even though she's not ready. After a few disastrous dates, she meets Michel Auber, a visiting professor who changes everything. What she doesn't know is he's a prince who will soon be forced into an arranged marriage unless he can find a woman who loves him for him and not his title.



That Prince is Mine is an adorably swoon worthy and lighthearted romance. The chemistry between the MCs was so well written, it was like there was an invisible thread pulling them together. While overall I found the story sweet, it was balanced well with some steamy scenes. It was a fun read that made me so hungry.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you St.Martin's Press and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Emma and Michel’s romance reads like a grown up Princess Diaries + British Royal Family mash up in a delectable way! Emma specializes in teaching Korean royal court cooking and culture, while Michel is the secret crown Prince of Rouleme posing as a USC visiting professor. There forbidden element to their relationship is woven well with both of their culture’s expectation of arranged marriage. The author handles their love expertly - their emotional reactions to falling in love mirror each other in a really seamless way. Emma’s elaborate dinners are positively mouthwatering, and the spicy scenes are just as hot as her cooking! If you love royal families of any variety, absolutely pick this up!

I became obsessed with the royal romance trope after red white and royal blue and this one was just adorable. I loved the banger between the MC’s

Ooohhhhh secret identity and love and learning a different culture and amazing side characters! I loved learning about Korean food through this book. I was hoping we found out more and more about Gabriel and Sophie and we did and it was wonderful. Michel and Emma are so sweet together and they were so fun to follow in this. I was worried about miscommunication but it was good and believable in the situation.

And I definitely cannot wait to read the authors backlist!

This story is all sorts of sugary sweet and happiness, where all the plotlines are wrapped up nicely with a perfect little bow—and bizarrely, that's a positive thing. I know not everyone likes that kind of story, and to be honest, I do often find them a little boring and trite, but That Prince is Mine pulls it off in a way that left me feeling satisfied. Partially, that's because the "falling for a prince trope" was handled in a unique way. The reveal that Michel was a prince wasn't the main source of drama, nor was his arranged engagement. Often, authors seem to handle it like this: prince-in-hiding meets a beautiful woman, realizes she's his soulmate, and wants to be with her forever but—uh oh—his secret royal status is revealed before he can tell his love himself, and she's subsequently furious at being lied to.

Lee smoothly avoids that trope. First, Michel tells Emma that he's a prince relatively quickly, which is great. Secondly, Emma really isn't that mad about it because the actual thing standing in the way of their relationship is her refusal to believe there can be a future. Their lines of thinking and their reasonings are all well thought out, and I appreciated that the drama and obstacles stemmed from their thoughts and worldviews rather than from outside forces (the press, demanding family members, etc).

Michel is absolutely precious. Emma is fun. Frustrating at times, but very likeable.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a Hallmark-esque romance with spice, this is the one.

My only criticism is I do feel like the title could be better.

What a sweet rom-com! That Prince is Mine is a lighthearted royal romance between Emma, an American-Korean chef and Prince Michel, who is also a professor. Emma is career driven and Michel is duty driven to his kingdom and finding a wife who loves him for him despite him being.a prince. I love how despite their vast differences, we get to see how they found each other and how their relationship blossoms. I enjoyed learning about Korean cuisine while reading this book. I love when a book talks about cuisine and spends time on its main characters passions. I usually enjoy a good royal romance plot and this one did not disappoint! Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

This is a sweet romance between an American-Korean chef and a prince. This was a sweet romance that was an enjoyable read but sadly did not have a lot of depth. If you need an easy fluffy read, I would say this would be a good one to read but it is not anything new or memorable.

Emma was a very likable character, and Michel was also. Their chemistry was white hot. However, I found their instant “love” a bit unbelievable. Attraction or lust, sure. But they knew little about each other when they decided they “loved” each other. Also, the book was very compelling at first, but then there were too many chapters of angst where they both couldn’t decide what to do. I like Jayci Lee and will read more of her books, but in my opinion, this one wasn’t as good as others I’ve read from her. But others might love it - that’s the good thing about books. They’re subjective!

“𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

Jayci Lee's fast-paced romance That Prince Is Mine centers on Prince Michel Aubert and culinary instructor Emma Young.

I really liked the first half of the book, but after that, things started to become worse. Just to make sure I wouldn't dnf this, I had to stop reading for a while. 

The characters were also very boring and they had no personality, even when together.

Although the book and its tropes had a lot of potential, the manner it was executed made the book unenjoyable. Considering the secret he was holding, I also anticipated a little more angst, but I didn't get any.

This book didn't live up to any of the lofty expectations set by the synopsis.

*Thank you to NetGalley, ST. Martins Griffin, and to the author, Jacinta Lee, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

That Prince is Mine is the perfect royalty romance. With the perfect amount of sweet and spiciness, I loved the dynamic between Emma and Michel, the two main charaters. Starting with Emma's godmother, renownded matchmaker, setting her up on countless dates with guys who on paper should be perfect... Emma needs a break from the forced interactions. Upon catching the eye of a handsome stranger at a cafe, Emma welcomes the distraction and uses the stranger to get out of these blind dates.
After meeting up with the handsome stranger again and again and running into eachother on Emmas college campus, Emma and Michel grow very interested in eachother and build a relationship that is only to last for the summer.
One thing I thought this book got so right was Michel being honest about being a prince, I feel like that is usually saved for a 3rd act breakup scene and I love that he shared that information towards the beginning of their relationship.
I thought this book had two very interesting characters with a fun relationship to read about that had me both blushing and kicking my feet. I would definelty recommend this book to someone looking for a fun modern royalty romance.

was not expecting this but i am not complaining cute short really romantic book, i cannot wait to annotate a physical copy