3.5 stars


I adored Jayci Lee's A Sweet Mess series so couldn't pass up the opportunity to read another of her books!

Emma was such a good character, agreeing to an arranged marriage to help her aunt's matchmaking business. Even though she found her own match in Prince Michel.

I enjoyed Michel and the fact he was royalty of a small country in hiding. His cousin Gabriel was so much fun!

Emma and Michel were so different and probably shouldn't have been compatible but they were so much fun together. I really liked their adventures around the city and the ending!

Hopefully another book will be coming featuring Gabriel & Sophie?? 👀

Huge thanks to NetGalley, MacMilan Audio & St Martin's Press for advance copies!

If you’re looking for a grown-up fairy tale that leaves you feeling hopeful and cheering for love, then this audiobook is a must-listen! It’s the perfect blend of heart, humor, and cultural insight.

This is a cute royal rom-com if you are looking for something lighthearted. Though don’t read this on an empty stomach, it made me hungry with all of the Korean cuisine and food talk in general—Emma is a culinary instructor. Also love that the head of security is a badass female, yay.

I would have liked another chapter or two at the end, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are spin-offs from this or this becomes the start of a series. The other characters are all very interesting and I would read more about them. I really liked the narrator, she added to the story and did the character voices pretty good.

*Provided an ALC (advance listening copy) audiobook from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

This book had all the cheese. Every corny trope in the romance category, it is here with the added bonus of cultural clashing and expectations. While this book held no secrets, it was sweet and light and a cute little romance.

#arc
#netgalley
#thatprinceismine

I really, really enjoyed this opposites attract, dual POV, royal romance that was the PERFECT book for anyone as obsessed as I was with the Julia Stiles movie, The prince & me. The book features Emma, a Korean American cuisine instructor and Michel, a professor slash secret European prince, who couldn't have been more different.

Emma isn't looking for love after witnessing her parents go through a messy divorce and is instead dedicated to the more traditional matchmaking process of finding her partner. Whereas, Michel is trying to fall in love before he has to accept the arranged marriage set up for him in order to inherit the crown.

This was a steamy slow burn full of great banter and excellent audio narration and I loved every minute! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

🎧That Prince is Mine🎧
By: Jayci Lee
Narrated By: Olivia Song
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Emma’s relationship with her Dad is so sweet!

•I want to go to some of Emma’s cooking classes!

•Michel and Emma’s romance is so sweet.

•Lee does a great job of showcasing different cultures, and how that can impact how you live your life.

————————————————————————————————

🎧 Audiobook Review! 🎧

That Prince is Mine was kindly provided as an ALC by MacMillan Audio. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: Out Now!

Y’all, this was such a fun book. Emma and Michel have the perfect slow burn. I loved watching their relationship evolve!

Every character in this book is dynamic and purposeful, and really add to the book. I loved learning about Emma and Michel and their family and friends.

Lee does such a great job of pointing out how different cultures can impact your childhood, and therefor what you look for as an adult. I really felt all of Emma and Michel’s emotions, and how they juggled their whirlwind romance.

Emma is an aspiring cooking instructor that is set against any love matches due to seeing the dissolution of her parent's marriage. She recruits her god mother to help her find a logical match. I chuckled when Emma and Michel first meet. I did like that it felt realistic that someone who has this idea of how marriages should go would take their time to change their mind. I loved all the cooking and food parts made me want to see what is around me that I can try some of these dishes.

A modern day Cinderella story that comically challenges the patriarchy in a culturally rich, hilariously sharp and witty new book by Jayci Lee! It’s all too easy to judge other cultures and their practices that we do not understand, like arranged marriages. Lee allows us a unique glimpse into Korean matchmaking and the importance of finding a partner with similar core values as your family of origin…for Emma Yoon, those matchmaking services just happen to come from her own real-life godmother. However, Emma is a relatable, ambitious, modern woman that is just blending her own dreams with cultural norms. She just happens to accidentally fall in love with a handsome prince who makes her laugh and feel the way true love should. That Prince is Mine is the grown-up fairy tale so many of us have been waiting for…leaving us rooting for the happily every after where compromise means we can have it all.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Emma Yoon is hoping to start her culinary school. But first, she agrees to let her match-making godmother find her a husband. She has always expected to have an arranged marriage, as she values compatibility over love. Prince Michel similarly is looking for marriage, but he is trying to avoid an arrange marriage. Instead, he is searching for love on a timeline. And when he sees Emma, he wonders if he might just have found it.

I really enjoyed learning about Korean food and culture through Emma's cooking classes. And her adventures with Michel made me a little nostalgic for Los Angeles and its suburbs. I used to live there, and Emma's guiding of Michel through the city included many of my favorite places.

I found the characters interesting. The romance slowly developed but included enough chemistry and steam to feel believable. Some of the drama felt like a bit of a stretch. But overall, this was a sweet royal romance that achieved what it set out to.

I listened to the audiobook was was quite impressed by Olivia Song's narration. The audiobook felt faster than it was at just under 13 hours. I think it helped me to be more engaged with the story.

Read if you like:
👑 Secret Royals
🥙 Lots of Food Chat
☁️ Light & Fluffy Reads
🇰🇷 Korean Culture

If you are hungry, maybe get something to eat before you start reading this romance, as its food descriptions were so yummy and made me want to try allllll of the food!!!

I really loved the passion around her culture and food that the FMC displayed and I think this had to be my favorite part of the book!

Also, I’m a sucker for royal romances as my guilty pleasure so I loved that aspect too, especially where our Royal was a secret royal of a small European nation.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC and ALC copies in exchange for my review!

A culinary instructor agrees to have her matchmaker godmother find her a husband. In a series of disastrous dates, Emma meets Michel, a charming prince in disguise who is lucky enough to witness Emma sabotaging said dates. They fall in love and, of course, conflict ensues.

There were some missed opportunities to get the matchmaking godmother to be more involved, but it was an enjoyable romance read.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for the audioARC!

I loved the multicultural aspects of this book, but the whole premise was a bit eh for me. I can’t believe in today’s day and age a prince could be so “undercover” as to be normal. And Emma seemed to be a character that was so wildly one way and then another about ideas and issues that it seemed unrealistic. Also definitely some “Mary Sue” tendencies in my opinion. I wanted to enjoy this book more but sadly it fell flat for me. The narrator was decent but the voice she chose to use for the MMC didn’t fit in my opinion.

Thanks to the publisher for the audio arc and to netgalley.

Thank you SMP Romance for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted listening copy of That Prince Is Mine! #MacAudio2024 #smpromance #SMPInfluencers #ThatPrinceIsMine #JayciLee

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐜𝐢 𝐋𝐞𝐞
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★

I thought this was a super fun and engaging book! A prince in disguise meets a career-driven woman, who are quite opposite and they fall in love. It was entertaining and spicy and an overall fun one! While I’ve always wanted to read a book by Jayci Lee, this was my first book by her and I would definitely read another one. I loved reading about Korean culture and cuisine and thought it was just such a fun read! The chemistry between Emma and Michel was amazing and I don’t think I’ve read a book with a prince in disguise trope before and I really enjoyed this one! There was some matchmaking involved and some miscommunication too, but I thought it was done well! Overall, I thought it was a fun one!

⏲️Prince In Disguise
⏲️Opposites Attract
⏲️He Falls First
⏲️A Rom-Com for Foodies
⏲️Lots of Spice

🎧I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Olivia Song. I really loved my time listening to Song and felt like she was an excellent pick for this audiobook! This was my first time listening to an audiobook narrated by Song and I would definitely listen to her again. I highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on July 23, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 24, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 30, 2024
**-will post on designated date

I was quite excited for the premise of this book - I love a good royal/commoner book, and I was super interested in the Korean food elements of the story. I mistakenly thought this book would be closed door, and was unimpressed by the language and spice I found throughout this book. Most of it felt like it was added in to make the book sell, and not to advance the plot. If you like spicy hallmark movies you will probably enjoy this book. I also found Emma to be somewhat immature and whiney about her take on love and relationships, and found her being in her upper twenties to be less than believable. I did enjoy many of the side characters in the book, and found the narration easy to listen to and understand, even at 2 times the normal speed.
I received a complementary advanced listening copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

I truly enjoyed listening to this book in my free time. One of the reasons I love audiobooks is that they allow you to multitask while enjoying a great story. This book, in particular, was exceptionally well-written and brilliantly narrated. The narrator's performance added an extra layer of enjoyment, making the story come alive in a way that only a skilled narrator can achieve.

Overall, the book was amazing—both fun and engaging. I found myself eagerly anticipating each listening session. The humor woven throughout the narrative was delightful and added a lighthearted touch that made the experience even more enjoyable.

In summary, this book was a fantastic listen. It was not only entertaining but also provided moments of laughter and joy. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a well-crafted, entertaining audiobook.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook.

Unfortunately, this is not one I would recommend.

What I liked:
- The culinary aspect of the story, especially the Korean royal court cuisine, which I’ve never heard of. I dare you to read this book and not immediately crave bulgogi.
- The author does a good job of bringing LA to life - they visit some landmarks, get stuck in traffic, etc etc.

What I didn't like:
- The FMC is annoying, closed minded, and immature. She’s obsessed with dating Michel so she can figure out how different and thus incompatible they are. It takes entirely too much of the story for her to realize this logic is flawed.
- The insta love from the MMC. I understand why talk of marriage happens quickly — in both Emma and Michel’s cultures, arranged marriages are common and they’ve both generally accepted the concept. But the love at first sight stuff I can do without.
- More generally speaking, the relationship between Michel and Emma lacks depth. I’m not really sure how since the book is 400+ pages/12+ hours, but it just all feels very one-dimensional. Speaking of the length, this book has so many scenes where nothing really advances the story and you just see them hanging around. It needs another edit!
- The only obstacle that SHOULD have been in Michel and Emma’s way, the fact that he’s a European prince and has to go back to lead his country, is given the least airtime. Rather, we suffer through Emma’s annoying and self aggrandizing takes on why her love life is so important to her godmother’s matchmaking business and how she needs to find someone just like herself to marry if they have any hope of working out. Like… what?

Audio: The entire audiobook is narrated by Olivia Song. Generally, I like her narration - she’s performed some of the Colleen Hoover books. In this book, she does a good job performing the narrative, but the voices she uses for some of the dialogue, particularly for male characters, is cringeworthy. I really think I would have enjoyed the book at least 25% more if I had read rather than listened.

Overall rating: 2.38 rounded to 2
Characters: 2.5
Atmosphere/Setting: 4
Writing Style: 3.5
Plot: 1.5
Intrigue: 1.5
Logic: 2
Enjoyment: 2

That Prince is Mine is a story of a prince hiding his identity and falling in love with a Korean-American. This has the feel of a hallmark movie, so if you love those (like I do), I think you will really enjoy the book. I thought it was a sweet story of wanting to be loved for who you are and family acceptance. I loved watching Emma and Michel try to figure out who they are outside of who they thought they would grow up to be and outside of what they believe their family would want.

I will be withholding my review of this book as it is under the St. Martin’s Press imprint. Book influencers are urging St. Martin’s Press for many months now to address 1. are influencers safe with SMP? 2. what are you doing to protect influencers? 3. who has access to influencer information? and 4. what happens when an SMP employee misuses that information? These questions follow an incident with a Wednesday Books employee back in October 2023 who posted anti-queer and anti-Palestinian hate online.

The premise sounded so cute for this and seemed like a book many patrons would like, but it got more spicy than I hoped. I’m tired of romance books being so filled with spice, not everyone wants that. Would have been exactly my type of book if it didn’t have that.

The parts of this book that I loved were: multicultural love interest, family connections, secret prince, and all of the food references.

That Prince is Mine is a story of a prince hiding his identity and falling in love with a Korean-American. This has the feel of a hallmark movie, so if you love those (like I do), I think you will really enjoy the book. I thought it was a sweet story of wanting to be loved for who you are and family acceptance. I loved watching Emma and Michel try to figure out who they are outside of who they thought they would grow up to be and outside of what they believe their family would want. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending because I thought it wrapped up a little too nicely and ignored the dreams they had before meeting each other and ignored the reality of a Korean-American marrying into a white royal family.

I was not a huge fan of the narration. At some points it felt a little forced or child-like, but overall I thought Olivia Song did a good job of differentiating between the MCs and the side characters' personalities.

The entire book is a miscommunication trope so if you hate that, this book is not for you. If you want a book that gives you happily ever after vibes this is definitely it!


Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for the free ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.