While this is not a new trope, the incognito prince needing a wife and the commoner that catches his eye, I relished the way the author made his character a shy, responsive and generally decent person who didn't throw his weight around to get what he wanted.Michel was so unassuming and lovable , unlike his entertaining but mysterious firecracker of a bodyguard who I hope will get her own story soon. Emma's character was also a gentle and warmhearted one that took great pains in not intentionally hurting anyone, and went beyond her obligations to take care of others feelings and validate their worth.The depth of these two main characters made them an almost perfect fit and the delightful interactions between the couple and the supporting cast of characters made this an easy ,quick and absorbing read while learning more about the asian cuisine. Netgalley provided this ARC for an honest review,

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for providing an eARC for my honest review.

This was a really fun story straight out of a Kdrama! Again, I love Jayci's focus on Korean American culture and identity but it does seem kind of forced sometimes in this story. I definitely enjoy reading about the concepts and the food and words but I think it could be better integrated into the story arch. It seemed unnecessarily focused on when other points of the plot could have been developed more - such the royal family and Emma's transition into that.

Thank you Netgalley (and Jayci Lee) for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thought it was a sweet story that followed two people who simply wanted to find the love of their life. Another review said it best that this was the perfect Hallmark movie storyline (with a little spice added in). Emma was a Korean baker who was going on different dates sent up by her matchmaking godmother while Michel was a prince who wanted to be a "normal" guy looking for the right girl to capture his heart. I loved the chemistry between the two characters and how Jayci wrote all the romance scenes between them. I also loved the addition of the Korean words integrated into the cooking scenes because it allows me to learn new vocabulary words. I also loved the side love story between Gabriel and Sophie and watching their second chance romance grow throughout the story. (If it hadn't happened in the book, I was definitely hoping for a partner book that centered around them.) Overall, it was such a sweet story that I cannot wait for others to read it and see for themselves!

Did anyone else love “The Prince and Me” in 2004? Imagine that, but the prince is a golden retriever romantic.

🧁Cinnamon roll hero
🧁Awkward hero/confident heroine
🧁Class difference
🧁Arranged marriage vs love match
🧁Strong family ties
🧁Female body guard

BLURB: Emma Yoon dreams of opening her very own culinary school in Los Angeles. She’s saving up for it by teaching young ladies the art of Korean royal court cuisine, a prerequisite to marrying into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. Thanks to her godmother, a renowned Korean matchmaker, business is booming, and Emma doesn’t have the time, nor the desire, to settle down herself. But when rival matchmakers come after her godmother by taking issue with Emma’s single status, her godmother’s reputation and Emma’s dreams face potential ruin. To save them both, Emma sets out on a series of arranged first dates to find the perfect-on-paper husband—even if she’s not ready for love. But after several disastrous first dates, she meets the gorgeous and irresistible Michel Aubert, a professor at USC and most definitely not her ideal match.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but he refuses to marry a woman handpicked by his elders. If he must spend the rest of his life in service of his people, he wants to do it with someone he loves and trusts by his side. He only has one chance of evading the arranged marriage—by finding a bride he does love in a few short weeks before the engagement is formally announced. Michel escapes to Los Angeles and assumes the role of an ordinary professor to find the love of his life.
🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁

I LOVED this book. I think one of the selling points for me was the adult responses each of the characters had. Specifically Emma, she handled the “secret identity” in a believable and mature way. The couples romance felt real, and developed. In addition, it was refreshing to read about an “awkward” hero. Sometimes I feel like every hero in every romance is this “suave sophisticated man”.

Thank you NetGalley!

Heat: 🔥🔥🔥
Release: July 30, 2024

this was so cute but not my favorite type of book. the 3rd pov often made me feel disconnected and bored. I do think the writng was solid though.

Fun and fast paced. I enjoyed the different cultures and how the characters responded. It was a light read.

“[Jeongseong] means putting your heart - your very best - into something… Didn’t I tell you? It’s my life philosophy. Everything worthwhile and beautiful in life requires jeongseong.”

As a Korean American myself, there was something that felt like home when I read That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee. From the moment she began the description of jeongseong, I was hooked. There really is no English equivalent to such a beautiful word, but Lee shows the true meaning of the word through the book.

Emma Yoon is a Korean culinary instructor who agrees to matchmaking dates to help her matchmaker godmother thwart the meddling claws of rival matchmakers, the Crones. Although she has never believed in true love herself, Emma finds herself instantly attracted to prince Michel Aubert, who she believed is a visiting professor. A true romantic, Michel is determined to find his true love in Los Angeles to avoid an engagement that was set for him at his birth.

If you loved the 2004 movie, The Prince and Me with Julia Stiles and Luke Mably, you will be sure to enjoy this delicious romantic comedy with a Korean twist. I really enjoyed the moments when Lee talks about the different traditional Korean royal cooking and dishes, which really shows her love for food and Korean culture. The story does rely heavily on the tropes of different worlds colliding, secret identity, and, the most frustrating of all, miscommunication. When I reached the halfway point of this novel, I did wonder how their relationship would develop as there was a lot of focus on Emma’s Korean side of the family and not much about Michel’s royal side. As a reader, the reaction of Emma’s Korean-American side of the family had way more focus and attention than Michel’s royal family or even his country.

The open-door spice of this book helped to move the story and the romance between the two characters along. Their chemistry was undeniably electrifying. I would also recommend this book to those who enjoyed Casey McQuinston’s Red White and Royal Blue.

I did wish the book spent more time on Emma’s journey to become a princess. The ARC really glossed over this potentially very interesting development, which I thought was a shame. I thought it would have been entertaining to see Emma infuse her own identity as a princess and eventual queen. (Sequel anyone?) The focus of the book is really on the building up of the romance to its ultimate climax (no pun intended).

Overall, I think this book was a cute romance that kept me hungry the entire time with all its descriptive and mouthwatering descriptions of food. It is not a quick read at 400 pages, but I thought this book was like watching a k-drama with its cute main couple and fun secondary characters. Also, I loved seeing how a character that looks like me could also marry a chivalrous prince.

Jayci Lee's That Prince is Mine is an enchanting and luxurious love story that guarantees boundless entertainment. This charming book encompasses all the finest aspects of a timeless Hallmark film, with an extra dash of excitement.

A cute romantic story about a prince in disguise looking for true love. I like both main characters. The chemistry between Emma and Michel is good. The story has got hallmark vibes and is very sweet. I like that there was attention to the more difficult aspects of dating someone who will move back to his own country soon. Made it feel more believable. This was a fun read for me.

Really adorable book. It was nice to learn a bit about Korean culture and the Prince was just too good to be true, honestly. Definitely the stuff of fairy tales! :)

i will not be rating or reviewing outside of netgalley as long as st. martin's press is still under boycott.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy of this story.

It was a fun story and I enjoyed all of the characters. I've read several other stories by Jayci Lee and was pleased with this story, as well. I was happy that she included a brief pronunciation guide at the very beginning because then I was able to get a better feel for the culture that she's putting into her story.



Spoiler:
The reveal of Michel's title was very anticlimactic, but I was happy that it wasn't the reason behind their brief separation.
One of my assumptions from the beginning of the story did not come to pass, but I think it could have been cute: with Michel being her "last" matseon.

Thanks a bundle for letting me read this book it was so fun to read and I just wanted more of Michel and Emma.
The Spice is low, but not nothing but its one of those books that aren't centered around it. I love that its so easy to read.

I really enjoyed this introduction into this world and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just so thoroughly enjoyed meeting these new characters and getting to go on their journey. I will most definitely be reading more wonderful books from this author.

I love Jayci Lee's books and this one did not disappoint. What a fantastic read - the perfect romcom for the romantic month of February. It follows Emma - a Korean-American chef (and commoner) in Los Angeles - and Michael, a visitor USC professor who hides his true identity as a royal. A red hot romance with food - what more do you need?!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jayci Lee, and MacMillan Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The best way I can describe this book is a sweet, fluffy romance. If you stick to the surface and enjoy the book for what it is, you'll love it. If you start looking too deep, it may not be for you.

I'm a sucker for royal romances so I chose to go the lighthearted, fluffy route - and I very much enjoyed it. Royal romance trope - prince in disguise as a normal person. Both Prince Michel and Emma are destined for arranged marriages, despite coming from very different cultures, families, and backgrounds, unless true love can win the day.

Emma is a Korean royal court cuisine instructor and her dream is to expand her business preparing clients for high profile noble marriages. But when she hears she’s losing credibility amongst her customer-base because she’s unwed herself, she makes it her mission to find a husband the traditional way-an arranged marriage. Emma is convinced that a love match will inevitably fail and that the prudent way to go is to go for an arranged match.

Crown prince Michel is running out of time. Michel’s father, the king of a small European country is planning to abdicate and wants his son to be engaged when he makes the announcement. If he doesn’t find love in three months, he’ll have to marry his long-time friend whose parents agreed upon their union when they were just children. Michel’s father, the king of a small European country is planning to abdicate and wants his son to be engaged when he makes the announcement.

Now Michel is in Los Angeles, undercover as a visiting professor, trying desperately to find the love of his life so he can take her back to his kingdom and live happily ever after. When Emma and Michel meet at a cafe, they have immediate chemistry, but their conflicting goals in love prove to be an immense obstacle.

Head over heels for her, Michel manages to convince Emma to spend the weeks he has left with the hope he’ll ultimately win her heart. Against her better judgment, Emma, besotted by Michel, agrees to his proposition, hoping that a brief and passionate tryst with him will get him out of her system so she can move on with her more sensible plans for finding a suitable husband.

They both find out that matters of the heart are much too complicated to leave to logic or duty in this tender and sexy romance that foodies will absolutely devour.

For fans of commoner and royalty storylines such as Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of That Prince is Mine.

I really wanted to like this book. I felt like the relationship between Michel and Emma was not real. They both had much more natural and full relationships with the side characters in the book.

I was more invested in Sophie and Gabriel’s story. It really felt like Michel didn’t have a full personality and was really just waiting to be in love his whole life.

I did enjoy all of the references to Korean culture and cooking.

Yes! A perfect Valentines Day romance and will be a fantastic beach read!
A sweet romance between Emma -- an American-Korean chef and commoner in L.A. -- and Michel, a visiting USC prof who hides his true royal heritage. Read their sweet and charming meet and fall in love with them.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.