Michel is a crown prince (from a fictitious European kingdom) hoping to marry for love, thus avoiding the long-standing arranged marriage that awaits him back home, and Emma is the still-single goddaughter of a professional Korean American matchmaker, who is hoping a properly-arranged match will ensure she won't repeat her parents' mistake--they married for love and eventually divorced, with her American mother essentially abandoning Emma.

Against all odds, they meet and start dating, though with very different outcomes in mind: he hopes for a love match, she hopes to prove they're incompatible.

Beware: DNF review.

There is some infodumping in the first couple of chapters, establishing the two protagonists' backstories with quite a bit of detail, and setting up the conflict between them.

After Emma's parents divorced, when she was fairly young, she and her father grew closer to the Korean community in Los Angeles. Her godmother is a preeminent matchmaker there, and is pressuring Emma to let her arrange a series of meetings with eligible Asian American men of a certain level of financial and educational success, in order to find a good, compatible man to marry.

Emma does want to marry--some day. Eventually. However, she feels she must allow her godmother her way now; partly, because many of her clients are referrals from said matchmaking service, and partly because having a single goddaughter approaching spinsterhood is bad for her godmother's reputation. And who knows, perhaps marrying now would help her achieve her ultimate goal--funding a cooking school--sooner.

So start the blind dates; the candidates are adequate on paper, but as Emma meets them one after the next, her reactions go from awkward indifference to active dislike.

Michel is in California as a visiting lecturer in International Affairs; he hopes that in the three months he's to be there, he'll meet at least one woman he can fall in love with, one who won't be swayed by his title and future, but who may love him back as himself.

Unfortunately, he has no experience in behaving like a regular human; for all of his life, his interactions with people outside his immediate family have been structured and constrained by protocol, and he's very unsure of his moves when it comes to people who don't know who he is, and thus have no agenda or set protocol of behavior towards him.

So it's now a month later, and Michel has made no progress towards his goal--unless one counts becoming smitten, from a safe distance, with the pretty and poised young Asian woman he's seen having tea with a few different men.

Because, naturally, Emma has had all her dates at the same posh cafe, in the ground floor of the very expensive hotel where Michel is staying while in Los Angeles, and so he's been a fascinated witness to all five failed dates.

After witnessing the latest, and particularly disastrous, blind date, Michel screws up his courage and they finally meet; this scene is pretty cute, as Michel's inexperience with this type of social situations makes him feel shy and behave awkwardly.

"'I like your dimple,' he blurted out. It sounded a lot better in his head." (Michel to Emma, chapter 4)

Of course, things only get more complicated from then on.

First, Emma is determined to eventually go on with the arranged dates and to marry one of the candidates, personal chemistry be damned; she is convinced that the only way to avoid heartache (and divorce) is to marry for compatibility and shared goals, rather than something as flimsy as love. This is because she equates attraction and passion with love, and discounts the process of getting to know one another through dating.

Second, Michel may be in Los Angeles incognito, but of course he must have personal security--in the form of ONE woman bodyguard who keeps him in sight every minute he's not behind the locked door of his hotel suite. This means that when Michel and Emma start going out on dates, he as to lie about Sophie. (I will not get into the logistics of oh, going to the bathroom in a public building here; we just have to pretend this is workable, never mind whether it makes sense.)

There's some backstory involving Sophie and one of Michel's royal cousins, who has been living as a (wealthy, of course) commoner in Los Angeles for a few years; Gabriel helped arrange Michel's guest lecturing gig with the university where he himself teaches philosophy, in part because Michel had helped him escape life at court. Their secondary romance is telegraphed very early on, though they don't actually have any scenes together for the first 45% of the book.

At any rate, Michel asks Emma out; she does tell him that she intends to find a husband through the arranged dates, but agrees to pause those while going out with him. Her reasoning is that they'll establish how incompatible they are, which will get him out of her system. And if that includes having sex with him, oh well.

Meanwhile, it's been a good five or six weeks out of the twelve Michel has in Los Angeles, and while he's very much smitten with Emma, he still hasn't worked out how he will eventually explain that oh, he's a crown prince whose father is planning to abdicate soon, and that unless he gets engaged before his return home, he'll have to make a political marriage with someone selected by, and for, the crown's interests.

From the beginning, I wasn't enamored with the writing style: characters don't walk, they pad, trudge, stroll. Even the simplest action is cluttered with unnecessary description that adds nothing to the narrative.

"Emma trudged into her pale sage bedroom, her knees feeling weak. She plopped down on the neatly made bed and smoothed her hand over its simple cream bedding with a mountain of artfully arranged pillows." (Chapter 1)

(For the record, Emma's bedroom is not mentioned again--at least not for the next oh, 180 pages or so.)

Some of the character descriptions are just plain awkward. For example, 1.7m (5'6") is not "slight stature" for women; in most of the world, it's plain average.

Another problem with the writing is the excessive repetition. The narrative covers both the matchmaking tradition and the arranged dates, as well as how and why Emma is agreeing to her godmother's pressure, why her godmother is exerting said pressure, and so on, several times in successive chapters, mostly as part of Emma's internal dialogue.

But here's my real problem: I'm at 46% of the book--that's close to two hundred pages--and these two are no closer now than they were when they first met.

Which, in case you missed it, took four whole chapters.

They have gone out a few times, and Emma has even introduced her"godbrother" Jeremy to Michel and Sophie, so an uninformed observer could think things are going well between them.

The reader, however, is privy to the protagonists' thoughts, and thus treated to Emma's "I'll just keep seeing him to prove we are incompatible, then I'll marry a nice Asian man my godmother matches me with" endless loops, and to Michel's...well, he occasionally wonders whether Emma will become more interested in his title than in him when he finally tells her the whole truth--and never spares a thought to how she'll react to the fact that *he's been lying to her the whole time*. And not just by omission.

There is zero character growth, which is bad enough, but worse for me is that she is twenty eight years old, he is thirty four, yet their internal dialogue reads a full decade younger.

Emma knows she's lying to herself, but keeps going out with Michel, and is about to have sex with him, because...reasons? Michel's lies get more complicate by the minute, and his deadline to come clean looms ever closer, yet he's all set to have sex with Emma without explaining anything to her becase...reasons?

At this point, it's not that I can't see how these two will make it work, it's that I don't care. I put the book down for days, and feel zero interest in picking it up.

That Prince is Mine is a DNF for me.

This book was sweet and fun! I thought Emma and Michel had great chemistry and their relationship was really fun to watch grow. I think the rest of the cast of characters ended up in a slightly awkward spot, with some of the more prominent secondary characters given too much time to be background but not enough time to flesh out properly. I think some of the pacing of the book was a little off, with stops and starts to the relationship that didn’t feel fully genuine.

I had to DNF this book. It started out well enough, but it just felt too forced and not at all genuine. I couldn't see the connection between the two characters at all.

Emma Yoon is a culinary teacher in Los Angeles with a specialization in teaching about the food at the Korean royal court. She has a dream opening her own cooking school. She agrees to go on some arranged dates to protect her godmother’s reputation as a matchmaker. The men on these dates aren’t the type of man she wants at all; however, a man she sees in a cafe does catch her eye and she appears to have caught his as well.

Prince Michel Aubert is a professor visiting the University of California. He’s been watching Emma on her dates and it made an impression on her, so he's hoping to have a chance with her even though he knows he must return to his own country and do his duty. After asking Emma out on a date, he starts to realize that choices in his future might turn out far better than he hoped if he does not settle on letting his family pick a bride for him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this title, as well as Macmillan Audio for he ALC narrated by Olivia Song. I did end up solely listening to this due to time constraints.

Emma Yoon is a Korean-American with dreams of opening a Korean royal court culinary school and finding a stable/dependable husband through her matchmaker godmother when the time is right.

Michel Chevalier is the heir to the throne of Rhulem (sp?), a small nation between France and... Spain? (IDR) He has been given three months to make a love match or return home to an arranged marriage. His cover while in Los Angeles is to be a professor by day and clueless bachelor by night.

They meet by chance in a hotel cafe and have an instant connection. Michel, convinced Emma is the one, dives in head first. Emma, thinking she just needs to get this handsome stranger out of her system, is looking for a fling before she settles into her future. When it's revealed Michel is a prince (which...I think I slept through, tbh), Emma doesn't even consider a future with him. How could she be a queen when her future is in LA?

I really wanted this book to knock it out of the park for me. I loved The Prince and Me (which I think this was a remix of). I love Korean food. I love steamy romance. It all should have been a no-brainer. But, alas, It was far too long and most of the beats didn't hit for me. The characters seemed generic. An example is that Prince Michel is a professor of international diplomacy (for only part of a semester?) who likes to drive fast and has never been to a movie theater. I feel like I have seen that character at least a dozen times. While Emma was a lovely female lead, I wasn't able to connect with her. I think, maybe, she was too perfect. I am more drawn to messy characters, so this could be due my preference and not anything else. The dialogue between the two of them was either stiff or (tbh) cringe inducing. When Michel was speaking, I often imagined his nostrils moving along with the words. Who knows why. The side characters, again, seemed pretty faceless to me.

My other big issue with this one was the length. This book is 400 pages. For a swoony royal romance, that's much, much too long. Can you imagine if Vanessa Hudgens' next Christmas movie was three hours instead of 90 minutes? Pass. It really could have been edited down to 300 pages without losing much content.

Maybe I would have felt differently if I wouldn't have listened to the audiobook. Maybe if my TBR wasn't breathing down my neck I wouldn't have been so upset by the length. Maybe you will really like this book and it's ok that it didn't hit a homerun for me. I finished it though, so it's as good as getting on base, right?

This was such a quick and charming read, with lots of banter, steamy-ness, heartwarming relationships, and sweet tender moments.

I loved getting to know the characters and their different cultures. I really enjoy reading books that feature food so this one was no different. I loved learning more about Korean cuisine, it all sounded so good.

The plot sounded interesting with the whole prince identity trope. However, I felt that there was quite a few filler chapters and it kind of lagged in the middle. The writing wasn’t a favourite. There was a lot of internal monologues and the descriptions felt a bit repetitive.

Michel and Emma did have some good chemistry and their love story was cute but it definitely had a hint of the instant love trope which I’m not particularly a fan of. The family relationships in this were fantastic and sweet. The friendships were also really cute.

Overall, it was a fun read. It had lots of good tropes and really great cultural representation. It also kind of reminded me of a hallmark movie haha.

Read if you like:
🍜 Opposites Attract
👑 Romantic Comedy
🍜 He falls first
👑 Prince in disguise
🍜 Slow burn
👑 Love averse FMC, Golden retriever MMC
🍜 Food featured
👑 Steamy

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Emma Yoon wants to open a culinary school teaching Korean Royal food but while working towards that plan her godmother who is a matchmaker wants to set her up because the rival matchmakers in her godmother's circle say it is making it look bad that she cannot find a match for her Korean goddaughter. Michael is a Prince teaching for a few months at U.S.C. before he must go back to his country he is hoping to make a connection with someone because he does not feel anything for the woman he is to be engaged to back home. He finds Emma appealing and she finds Michael attractive. Their story is fun and along with the cast of characters, everything works. I found this to be a very good read.

I enjoyed how this story developed into a really cute romance. These characters deserved all the happiness and I’m so happy they got it. All the details were super vivid which helped in certain situations.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read this ARC.

I had never read a book with secret royalty before, but I absolutely loved this. The characters were cute and relatable, the drama was GIVING (I was literally gasping out loud at every twist), and their romance was so sweet.

After her parents' divorce when she was a kid, Emma Yoon doesn't believe in marrying for love. She believes only a set of compatible characteristics could ever lead to occasional happiness. Michel Chevalier is looking to get out of his arranged betrothal to his childhood friend by coming to the States to find love. (And finding someone who would be willing to move to Europe and support him in ruling a foreign country... sounds pretty doable, right?)

The meet cute lived up to its name. Picture me already swooning by page 10. It was giving a little bit insta love, but i'm not mad about it. Their dates were so cute. I was absolutely obsessed with them having a list of mundane activities as firsts for Michel to accomplish while they were together. I literally could not stop smiling this whole book.

Jayci Lee gives readers a good, lighthearted, summer read with That Prince is Mine.


Emma is a food instructor on all things Korean royal cuisine. She runs her business side-by-side with her Korean grandmother, who is a renowned matchmaker. Emma dream is to open her own culinary school. However, when her grandmother's meddling friends try to put her hand in her love life.

Michael is a prince and is bound by duty and honor. However, arrange marriage is the absolute last thing he wants. He tends to service people the way he must, but he would prefer to have love for love and not just for status. Michael tries his own look at finding his true love before the person arranged to marry him is announced.

That Prince is Mine was an overall enjoyable summer read. However, it did fall a little short for my own personal tastes hence the three star rating. To me it read more as a new adult book, then a fully fledged romance. It was a sweet read, which I have no problems with that. It was definitely more on the cute side then sexy. I did enjoy reading about Korean culture and some of the interactions between Emma and Michael I found absolutely adorable.

Emma Yoon is an aspiring culinary instructor who dreams of opening her own school. She has been so driven and focused on her business that her matchmaker godmother must tell her that her competitors are saying she's nearly a spinster. Just after she agrees to allow her godmother to start setting her up with potential matches, Emma meets Michel, a visiting professor with progressive ideals and European charm. After she agrees to give him a chance, Emma finds out Michel is really the crown prince of his country. Soon she finds herself over her head in a relationship that is so much more than temporary.

This was a breezy and fun royal rom-com. I loved all of the different characters, particularly Emma and Aunt Soo. It was a quick, enjoyable read with a somewhat predictable happily ever after.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the e-arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
That Prince is Mine
Author: Jayci Lee
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: July 30, 2024

The concept of a Korean girl searching for a husband through a matchmaker and failing miserably by falling in love with a European Prince was hard to believe. Firstly, Emma wanted to get married to have enough money to start her Korean cooking school, which was unrealistic because, with an arranged marriage, a wife would have expectations placed upon her. A “royal wife” would have more duties and obligations. Furthermore, the speed at which Emma and Michel fell in love was hard to believe. Sadly, it has a great premise but is not clearly presented.
🍜

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.
🍜
#romance #chicklit #secretPrince #whirlwindromance #multicultural #ThatPrinceIsMine

#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #bookreviewer

So this was cute, but just cute. I loved learning little bits about Korean culture but otherwise I feel the story lacked depth. Surface feelings only, I guess. But reading it was a nice way to spend some time.

The premise of this book was so good! I really wanted to love it! Unfortunately, this was a bit of a miss for me, I found the main characters to be a bit boring, and was more interested in the side characters. It was definitely a light read that I was able to breeze through easily. It just wasn't for me.
Thank you to @netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I gave up reading it, I was enjoying it but it didn't grab me enough anymore, anyway I highly recommend it!! Give it a chance, maybe you will like this book!!

This started out so cute and then fell apart at the end for me. I loved the incorporation of Korean tradition and customs into the story and the bonus of a royal pretending to be anything but a la Roman Holiday was intriguing. I enjoyed watching them fall in love and try to work out their differences. The writing flowed well and made it easy to get caught up in the story and then the ending got so cheesy that it ruined it for me, a trend I have noticed has bothered me with this author in the past. I get that the happy ever after has to happen a certain way, but it was overdone and made it hard to rate this higher than a 3.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
That Prince Is Mine releases July 30, 2024

2.75

Emma and Michel are both destined to find their romantic partner through an arranged marriage, though that’s not what either of them want.

Emma is a culinary instructor, specializing in teaching others how to cook Korean royal court cuisine. Her godmother is a renowned matchmaker, but trouble arises when her matchmaking rivals start to suspect that Emma is a spinster. This leads to Emma going on a set of prearranged dates.

Michel is a visiting professor at USC and the future King of his country, though he’s keeping his royal identity a secret while he’s in America. After running into Emma at a café on numerous occasions, he’s convinced that the serendipitous fate he’s been looking for this whole time has finally manifested, and he must see it through despite how rusty he is with dating.

I enjoyed the circumstances that the main characters were in, and the side characters were a great addition, but the book was so lengthy.
There was a strong message of having to give up your dreams for love, both with Emma/Michel and Gabriel/Sophie, and I don’t think that should be the case.
Emma and Michel’s relationship was definitely more sex-forward and explicit than I was expecting.

Recommend if you like the royal trope/secret identity, and lots of Korean cuisine.

Reading this one was odd for me - I definitely enjoyed it while reading it, but I don't think it will stick with me. Overall, it was just fine.

I always love a romance that has some sort of cultural representation - particularly when that involves detailed and delicious descriptions of food! Additionally, I do think the setting of this book, LA, was really brought to life - it was descriptive and really helped you visual the area.

However, if I heard our FMC say one more time about how she was with the MMC just to prove incompatibility one more time...like we get it - it didn't need to be harped on that much. As such, I feel like the relationship wasn't truly developed - because we were only getting their motivations (prove incompatibility and choose his own spouse) over and over again. It felt like the feelings were developed out of thin air because so much time was given to the other motives.

The characters! The pacing! The romance! It was so easy to get lost in this book. My only critique is I feel like there is a disconnect between the title and the story, but the title IS catchy, so I get it. But it was so easy to fall in love with these characters and this story. Plus, I very much wanted to snack on almost every Korean dish Emma made.

Emma Yoon is proud of her heritage and teaches Korean Royal Court Cuisine to prospective brides. She loves cooking and her goal is to open a cooking school where she can teach more than one student at a time. To that end, her godmother (Imo) who is a Madame Ddu or matchmaker refers clients to her. There is one thing threatening that right now, Emma is approaching what is considered to be the age of a spinster and has up to this point no desire to seek a match. This can impact both their businesses. With that in mind Emma and having always planned on an arranged marriage, Emma tells her godmother to find her a husband.

We meet Michel as he sits with his cousin Gabriel in the café at his hotel. Gabriel doesn't understand why his cousin prefers living in this hotel, the café is a big part of that. It's the perfect place to deal with issues back home and plan out his lectures. What no one here knows is that Dr. Michel Chevalier, expert on International Relations is also the Crown Prince of Rouleme. He's here on a personal mission, hoping to find a match based on him not his crown. Something that isn't possible back home. His cousin is Dr. Gabriel Laurent a philosophy professor who helped Michel get the position of guest lecturer.

Michel also likes to people watch and the café is perfect for that as well. This is how he meets Emma. He's watched her meet with dates several times now and each time the men have left with a bow. Now she's back again looking as beautiful as ever. When her date leaves, Michel sends her a plate of madeleines and pays her check via their waitress Anne.

Emma is surprised enough to approach him and the ensuing conversation is fun and a bit flirty.

One of the things I love about this book is the descriptive dishes Emma prepares with her students. From ingredients to history a culinary delight.

Then there's the slow but steady relationship that builds between Michel and Emma. The only problem there is he isn't being open about who he is.

A surprise in this one is a twist with his cousin Gabriel, I really liked that one.

This is a delightful read with twists, romance and surprises.