❥ Thank you for the free audiobook, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

I am a bit of a royal watcher, so Jayci Lee’s newest romance was a must-read for me. The cover is adorable, and I think our prince resembles Prince William a bit!

I enjoyed this light read. I loved the Korean culture baked into the story (and I am now craving chicken bulgogi). I also enjoyed the matchmaking and arranged marriage elements of the story, as they made Emma and Michel’s ultimate happily ever after more rewarding. This story has the humor and silly predicaments integral in a good rom-com. With a little spice sprinkled on top, it is the recipe for success.

❥ Listening to this story via audio was lovely. Narrator Olivia Song did a beautiful job.

I received an ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley | Macmillan Audio.

3⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I am going to start with the narrator, Olivia Song she is a great narrator and I feel like I would have enjoyed this story more if Prince Michel had his own voice. Olivia gave other characters a voice but at time's even in his POV it felt off.

The story overall is lovely.
Both were just trying to find themselves and someone to love. The fact that they find themselves together without intervention from anyone was a surprise to both of them.

I feel like Emma wanted to make her family happy and wanted to just go along with whatever even if it didn't make her happy.

And it was very similar for Prince Michel as well. I feel like that is why them finding each other was sweet and meant to be.

I felt their connection right away, but I felt like there was a bit of a disconnect from when they met to the lust, and then to the spice. I almost thought it was going to be a very PG kind of book and when it wasn't I was surprised and also at times wondering if the author felt like she needed to add the spice.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for an advanced copy of this book.

I finished this book although I thought about not finishing it many times. I felt like the author was trying too hard to convince me that Emma and Michel had chemistry but I wasn’t feeling it. The story and character development felt choppy and disjointed. Also, I was not the biggest fan of the narrator.

I’m sure there is an audience for this book, and I hope those people find it.

That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee
Contemporary romance. Diverse, own voices, Asian. Royals away from home, or Royal on vacation troupe.
Emma Yoon is a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine. She hopes to eventually open a culinary school of her own. Emma agrees to go on a series of dates to protect her godmother’s reputation in the matchmaking business but by date five is feeling inpatient. These men aren’t what she wants in life. But there is man that catches her interest at the cafe and he seems just as interested in Emma.
Prince Michel Aubert is an adjunct visiting professor at the University of California. He’s been watching with amusement, Emma’s seeming disastrous and one-time only dates at the cafe with different men each time. He’s like his own chance at chatting with her but he knows he is bound by duty and responsibility to return to his own country. Gathering his courage, he asks Emma for a date and realizes that perhaps he can choose his own bride instead of settling for an arranged marriage back home.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narrative was performed by Olivia Song and was marvelous. There were very distinct voices for Emma vs. Michel and his cousin, that were consistently easy to tell apart. The few phrases in French sounded authentic and were understandable in the moment. The humor, longing and angst were clear expressed while drunk Michel was amusing to hear.
The audiobook was a great experience. I listened to it my usual speed of 1.5.
Between the two formats, I preferred the audiobook because it kept me listening and committed. The ebook had me slightly inattentive at times and I might have been tempted to skip ahead a few pages occasionally.

Entertaining story overall. A smidge too much angst and indecisiveness for me in a slightly longer length than typical. I enjoyed the secondary characters and their intertwined romance and was glad they were resolved too. The body guard was unique and made feelings known simply by using his title which was delightful. HEA twice. Yeah!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

this one, the female character has a godmother who is a matchmaker and the prince needs to find love while he is in LA or he is bound by a prearranged marriage. Yup. You can imagine how it plays out. Their chemistry was spot on and they were just cute together. I also enjoyed the side characters - their friends, family and bodyguard. So it was totally predicable and formulaic but it was entertaining and cute. Pub day is Tuesday. Thank you to Griffin for my gifted copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

That Prince is Mine
by Jayci Lee

Narrated by Olivia Song

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 3/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) Open door & I bump up for outdoor spaces.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Olivia Song is a great storyteller utilizing multiple voices/accents for different characters.
🤩 If you are drawn to romcom movies/storylines with a prince or princess but wish they would have added some steam? Jayci Lee goes full open door in this one with multiple steamy scenes.
🤩 Sweet and cute MCs you’ll love. Emma and Michel (secret identity) give us double fish-out-of-water vibes as far as dating goes. Laugh-out-loud funny.
🤩 Korean American family traditions and lots of yummy food details.
🤩 I’m a sucker for pebbles thrown at her window.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Mostly predictable plot (still fun).
💫 I would have liked a gorgeous male accent for the Michel parts to help with the lusty feels. I might have felt more of the feels if I would have read it and not listened to this one. I wanted to fall for Michel a little harder.

Previously I have enjoyed this authors books but this one there was just something lacking in this one. The relationship was good and believable. But there was a lot a food discussion. I get that the FMC is a cooking teacher, but I think the book would a been more streamlined and definitely shorter without the in depth descriptions of almost everything they ate.

I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. The FMC completely gave up her dream of running a cooking school, with no further discussion about it!

3.5 stars

This was such a fun listen! Emma is a Korean American who is set on going on dates with matches picked by her match maker godmother. She thinks compatibility will make a marriage last. She gets thrown for a loop when she meets Michel. Michel is in an arranged engagement and he is trying to prove that he can find a love match. Michel is hoping Emma can be that perfect love match, if she can take a risk and change how she feels about relationships.

I enjoyed listening to this one. While Emma is on a mission to find her love match only to please her matchmaking godmother, she stumbles across Prince Michel who has come to America as a professor to find his princess. Michel isn’t initially one of her dates but meets her during one of them and he wants to be her date. It takes some convincing for Emma to agree because she technically isn’t ready for love. The one thing Michel doesn’t tell Emma is that he is in fact a prince, who just so happens to be arranged to be married back home, but he wants someone to love him for himself.

This one was fun to listen to with both of our MCs being in arrangement situations. They were so cute with one another. I loved the banter between the two as Michel works his way into Emma’s life. Emma was resistant with her thoughts of them being so opposite, but Michel didn’t give up! This one briefly popped the movie 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎 in my brain a few times with Michel going to America to find his wife secretly against his father’s plans. Even down to when Emma goes to Michel’s country when she finds out the truth and realizes her feelings. The audiobook was also fun to listen to, but I had to keep reminding myself that Michel (pronounced Michelle) was actually our male character Lol

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!