This is the second book by Jayci Lee that I have read, and I even got to meet her at a book signing, so I was excited to read this book, however, I just wasn't able to connect with this book. I made it 24% of the way through before I decided to DNF the book. The premise is cute, and I liked the explanation of Jeongseong as part of the Korean culture, however, I felt like Emma and Michel were both very immature. For example, If Emma didn't have a connection with the men she was having first dates with, why result to ridiculous antics instead of just being up front about not feeling a connection. I also find it odd that if Michel has spent his whole life preparing to be king, why hasn't finding a love match been more of a priority for him, and what makes him think he can find someone in the US that would be willing to fill the role within 3 months?! It makes me question his judgement as a king of a country if he didn't even have the foresight to start looking for a partner earlier. Emma and Michel both kind of drove me crazy and I felt like I didn't really care what happened with them or hearing about their story.

Quick Summary: A royal romance in disguise

My Review: That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee is a contemporary, multicultural romance. It was released in 2024.

About the Book: "A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor in search of a perfect-on-paper husband is waylaid from her practical, heartbreak-proof plan when she meets a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs."

In My Own Words: The Prince & Me with a Korean-American twist

My Final Say: This novel was a sigh-happy delight. I loved it! Michel and Emma were opposites that fit together so perfectly. Their love story, from the meet-cute to the last tense moments before the official intro announcement, was dreamy. Of course, the tension, the sizzling connection, and the romance were top notch.

Other: Readers who want to get lost and found in the love and romance between a royal and a commoner will absolutely adore this story.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Note: Sweet & spicy

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for providing access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. It was a pleasure to review this work.

2.5 stars

I wish I could've loved it because I love royal romances, but I didn't connect with the story, and it was a bit of a hard read to push through till the end. If you enjoy insta-love, then you'd love this book. It was cute, but I needed more depth, and the storyline lost its momentum throughout the book. If you love an open-door romance, he falls first, she falls harder, and third-person pov, then definitely check this out, it could be for you. Unfortunately, it was not for me, but thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

The story has a light, easy-to-read vibe, and I appreciated the strong female lead who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Jayci Lee’s writing is smooth and engaging, making this a quick weekend read. The chemistry between the leads felt a little warmer than sizzling, and I was hoping for more drama and emotional depth to really hook me. For a plot that teased royal secrets and tension, things stayed fairly tame. If you’re in the mood for a low-angst romance with royal flair and a confident, career-driven FMC, this could be a great pick.

Strong protagonists and great pacing done with the romance. I appreciated the lack of a true miscommunication trope and that the characters acted like adults and talked through their arguments and disagreements.

This book is everything I want in a modern royal romance—whimsical, emotional, and packed with sizzling chemistry and cultural charm.

Emma Yoon is an absolute gem of a heroine. She’s determined, talented, and refreshingly love-averse in a genre where falling fast is the norm. Her commitment to her career and her godmother’s legacy gave the story such heart, and her vulnerability made her easy to root for. Enter Prince Michel Chevalier, disguised as a charming professor, and cue the swoons. Their connection is immediate, but it unfolds with the perfect amount of tension and tenderness.

Jayci Lee does an incredible job blending fairytale romance with real-world expectations. The Korean royal court cuisine angle was fascinating—I loved the rich cultural details—and the matchmaking subplot added drama without overshadowing the romance. Michel’s desire to be seen as a man, not just a monarch, gave his character unexpected depth, and his pursuit of Emma felt earnest and romantic rather than pushy.

I laughed, I swooned, I even got a little teary. The Prince Is Mine is a love story for anyone who’s ever dreamed of a fairytale ending—but wants it on their own terms. Add this one to your TBR if you love strong heroines, secret royalty, and stories that celebrate culture, family, and following your heart. I adored every page.

Thank you for approving me for this title. After some thought, I’ve realized it’s not quite the right fit for me personally, so I won’t be able to provide a full review. I appreciate the opportunity to access it and wish the book great success.

This book was fun as it had a Korean representation including characters and food and royalty. I love books that talk about incorporate food into the plot and this book was no different. I really enjoyed the characters, plot, and the romance. I do wish a third act break wasn't involved but none-the-less I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others for a fun diverse read.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Griffin Publishing for the e-ARC of this book. The review are my thoughts and my humble/honest opinion.

I liked the diversity of the characters. A Korean woman named Emma and a Prince named Michel fall in love. *I listened it to audio and the pronunciation is Michelle and for moments I thought it was a FF romance.* It seemed like a Cinderella kinda storyline but honestly, this seemed to drag for me and it did not deliver what I wanted. The love/romance didn't seem real and it lacked.

The first dates were cringe and the grandmother meddling was a tad annoying. I did appreciate the food that was described in this book.

Thank you again Net Galley and St. Martin's Griffin Publishing.

The Princess is Mine was a huge miss for me.

I love how this book started, We follow Emma Yoon Who is a Korean royal court cuisine instructor, eager to open a commercial kitchen to have the ability to instruct more students. She is deeply passionate in her field as a cook and wants to help people experience the joy of cooking. She has deep family roots, which at times were disturbing to read. Her aunt is a matchmaker with high stakes of signing on new clients, clearly struggles with boundaries and taking this on upon herself. We see Emma’s dynamic with her father and the trauma of having divorced parents. Very strong voices and I appreciated the Korean culture and food in this book.

Prince Michael Albert Appears on scene leaving his home royalty to have some time away in California. This MMC Drove me absolutely crazy. I feel like he was very manipulative. I really struggled With him as a character He was wrote very entitled to me and it didn’t really seem to fit his European prince label.

The first romance scene at the hotel restaurant was actually the best for me. I loved the flirtation and angst in the setting. I felt the usage of ‘teeth’ In the romance scenes to be jarring and completely pulled me from the moment. I am not one for instant love, Miscommunication trope.

I found that the General plot was more engaging than the romance. The story felt very repetitive to me in the sense that the characters were slow and repetitive in their thinking back-and-forth about what was to come in their future, which felt too obvious to me. This book was way too long in the middle really dragged.

I actually preferred the side romance relationship More than the main character, characters love interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC copy.

That Prince is Mine was cute and fun. I liked a lot of the elements in this story—the matchmaking, the Korean culture, the focus on food. While I enjoyed how it ended, the relationship between Yoon and Michel felt too instant and disingenuous at times. However, I really loved the minor characters and how their relationship blossomed. Overall this was a cute and light romcom.

3 Stars! Thank you, to the publisher, for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion!

Cute read and I love how food was incorporated into the plot. Although finished, don’t see myself picking it back up anytime soon. Overall, I love the representation in the novel and thought the characters were pleasant to learn about and follow along with as I read.

ANHPI Heritage Month 2025 #18

God, that was cringe.

Emma is a Korean royal court cuisine instructor with a matchmaker for a godmother. I used to judge matchmaking services, but after the apps and seeing what's out there, I am this close to signing up for one.

Michel is a foreign prince masquerading as a USC professor. He lives in a hotel. Unsure why. I know he's is supposed to be sexy and foreign, but his English is so awkwardly stilted. And I’m all about slut season, but going over to a man’s hotel room on date one is a choice.

Skimmed most of this to get through it. The sex scenes? God awful. The instalove? Even worse. Two months to a proposal? In this day and age? Honey, no. And then for Emma to go on and on about her career only to drop everything for a man. A man she has known for two months. A man who lied about who he was. Nope.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin

This was a cute story but was not a fan of the third act break up. I was into the insta live vibes and here for all of it but the ending left me a bit disappointed.

I love Jayci Lee. Time and again she delivers sweet romances with fun and romantic storylines. The chemistry is great and the storyline of an undercover prince was fun. I wasn’t a fan of the third act break-up, but I did think the insta-love trope worked.

This story follows a korean cuisine instructor who is in search of a husband and meets a professor/prince. This was a cute storyline following royalty and the Korean culture. I love books like this and the author’s writing style was really great. The pacing was perfect and so was the setting. I liked the different conflicts in this book to keep readers entertained. I do have to say that the romance was okay which I will go more into detail later. This is told from both Emma and Michel’s pov.

Emma runs a small business who is looking for a husband but meets a USC professor, Michel. I liked her storyline and her character. She was funny and I just loved learning from her. Then we have Michel the prince on duy but is also a secret professor. He was also a great character but sometimes I would just get icks from him. Both the MCs didn’t have a strong development but they did have minor ones. There are many side characters and I enjoyed how the author incorporated their romance into the book. The romance is he falls first, miscommunication trope (my least fave), and insta love. The romance felt rushed in my opinion and I wish it was building throughout the story. I also hate miscommunication especially if it’s not done well which was in this story. There are a few steamy scenes as it’s an adult story.

The ending was great and overall this was a cute book. I heard of Lee’s previous works which I do have on my TBR that I need to get to. This story was overall pretty good but would say that the romance could have been better. I recommend checking this book out if you want to check out a unique royalty romance.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

A charming and easy read! That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee is a modern fairy tale with a fun twist. Emma, a Korean royal cuisine chef who doesn’t believe in love, agrees to go on arranged dates to help her godmother’s matchmaking business. Then she meets Michel—handsome, sweet, and secretly a prince.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Emma and Michel, and the story had a good mix of romance, humor, and heart. The cultural details and focus on Korean food added something special without being overwhelming.

If you like sweet romances with a bit of royal drama and a strong female lead, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

Cute book! Took me a while to get through it though. This was my first book by this author! I'll definitely try another one!

A light, easy to read, low stakes rom-com with The Prince and Me vibes, LA as a character, and multicultural representation.