Adult romance with connection at first sight and slow burn. I enjoyed this book. The main characters, Emma and Michel, had sizzling chemistry and I love a royal MC! The way they met was super cute and interesting. I loved how supportive Michel was and the romance was spicy. There were also great and funny side characters, Sophie and Gabriel.
Finally, I want to note that the pacing of this book was slow, similar to Elena Armas’ books. A little too slow for my taste, but loved the ending!

This was a fun and cheesy romance that reminded me so much of the princess switch on Netflix!! It had great banter and I love a good royal romance.

Title: That Prince is Mine
Author: Jayci Lee
Length: 391 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Romcom
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Emma Yoon, a culinary instructor in Los Angeles specializing in Korean royal court cuisine, dreams of opening her own school. When her matchmaker godmother's rivals meddle in Emma's love life, she’s pushed into a series of arranged dates to save her godmother’s reputation and her own dream. But after meeting Michel Aubert, a USC professor and secret prince, she begins to reconsider her stance on love, as Michel is also seeking a partner who loves him for who he truly is.

Thoughts:
2.5 rounded up to 3. I had such high hopes for this book, but I feel like it just fell flat. The characters seemed pretty one dimensional and even hypocritical at times with very little chemistry. It was an okay story, but at any point during this book I felt like I could put it down and never be tempted to pick it back up again. I did, however, enjoy all the Korean food talk 🤤.

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I really do enjoy Jayci Lee romances as they are easy to read and very cute but this one felt verrryyy long and didn't have much depth to it. I will still read the author but this just categorizes as one of my least faves.

As someone who loved watching princess movies, I really had high hopes for this book but it took me a while to keep myself afloat. I felt like it lost momentum a few times but as long as you stick through it you will reach the end be like "Oh that was a really cute book." The arranged marriage was a little heavy but that could be because I haven't read a book that had an arranged marriage in quite awhile. Give this story a chance...it might be your taste more than mine!

That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee is a cute royal romance book. Overall, it was easy to listen to and follow along. I enjoyed both characters and felt they had good chemistry. I would recommend this one.

The story of That Prince is mine shows a lot of similarities with the movie Coming to America (with Eddie Murphy). Yes, I’m that old… Same as in the movie, prince decides to go abroad undercover to try to find a bride, although he already has a pre- arranged betrothed at home.

When he finds … he decides to try to woo her, before he reveals to her that he is the heir to the Kingdom. And of course, after falling in love, she finds out he is the royal prince and she sends him packing. Just as the movie, the story is cute and funny and heartwarming.

Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This is such a cute story! If you're a fan of The Prince and Me and The Princess Diaries (but with spice), I really think that you'll like this one.

Emma Yoon has a goal for her life. No, not marriage, opening up her own culinary school. She teaches on a smaller scale Korean royal court dishes (which I had no idea was a thing!) but wants to expand.

Emma is very close to her godmother, who's really filled in as an honorary mom to Emma. She's a very successful matchmaker. Some women who are pretty jealous about her success call out the fact that Emma isn't married. So Emma goes on a blind date. A blind date that is... ugh.

During that blind date, she catches the attention of visiting Professor Michel. Who's actually not a professor but a Prince. Who needs to find his true love.

Their relationship is so sweet and charming. Sure, Michel is hiding a big secret, but to be honest, is it really a bad secret? Michel comes with his best friend who is a real professor and his bodyguard. They have a lifelong friendship that's gotten a little bit complicated. Emma is super close to her dad and godmother. We also meet her God brother (I've never heard that term before, but it explains their relationship) who's keeping his OWN secrets.

I really enjoyed this sweet story. I learned a lot about Korean American culture, and it's a sweet love story!

3.5 stars
That Prince is Mine is exactly what the cover and title depict it as. A middle class Asian-American woman unknowingly falls in love with a prince who would do anything for her. There's some insta-love, and at times the plot stalls, but overall, it was really adorable. Michel is pining after Emma from day one, and although over the top at times, it's cute. I did have a couple issues with the story. I found it lost momentum in the middle, was oddly enough a little too pro-arranged marriage for my liking, and Emma's reaction to finding out Michel is a prince was really subdued, but otherwise, I had fun. If you liked Crazy Rich Asians, you'll love this book. It's very similar but with less drama and more pining.
Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review!

Loved this book. I learned more about the Asian culture, and was enamored with the main character. A good read.

Unfortunately I DNF this book. It just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into it and struggled with the 3rd person pov.

While meeting her matchmaker’s prospects, Emma spies a handsome man across the room and is immediately drawn to him. As they participate in the dance of attraction, Emma has to decide whether to put her future career dreams on the line or take a moment to satisfy her personal desires.

Jayci Lee gives us a meet cute hidden identity romance with That Prince Is Mine. I like the courting which happens here and the dual pov of the main characters. Lee gives us a full foundation for Emma and Michel, so that we are rooting for independent individuals who don’t really need love. Michel really wants to find love whereas Emma doesn’t believe in romantic love. They are both focused on their future careers. They are both entrenched in their culture. This is what makes them a good couple to root for because it really is all about love.

The chemistry is good. I even want to see the affair between the secondary characters as it jumps off the page too. There is humor to go along with the romance as the characters can laugh at themselves.

That Prince Is Mine is a quick read romance filled with culture, humor, and steam. The perfect way to end the summer.

I love Jayci Lee! Her books are always so charming and her characters are always lovable. Emma and Michel are both of those things - charming and lovable! I love that they added in the culinary aspect - it's something I don't do well so I enjoyed reading about it. I think anyone looking for a light-hearted love story will enjoy this!

While I don't consider Jayci one of my favorite authors, I still will read everything of hers that I can get my hands on. She always makes banter one of the highlights of her novels and I live for it. This didn't disappoint at all.

A chance encounter with a prince is a dream come true…or is it? I loved the culture and family love in this book. The story, the characters, just all of it is so well done!

This book was a quick, delightful read with a charming Hallmark-like vibe. I connected with Emma, who was relatable and endearing, and found the unique romance with a prince captivating. As a fan of similar movies, it was a perfect fit. I also enjoyed the insights into Korean culture and the mouthwatering dishes Emma prepared. Overall, a sweet and enjoyable romance!

Overall, I thought this was a very cute and fast-paced story.

Read this one if you enjoy:
> Royal MMC (hidden identity)
> Insta-attraction/love
> He falls first
> Loveable side-characters

The premise of this story was the classic "royal pretending to be a common person". I liked the California setting and the occupation of a visiting professor really made sense for the MMC's overall character. I thought the initial meetings between the two MCs were cute and quirky - for the MMC to be a bit shy and not totally put together was endearing and not what I had expected from a character who was really a prince. The FMC was fun - I loved the representation of Korean heritage and tradition that was woven throughout the entire storyline.

At times, the storyline did feel a little predictable and surface level - the conflict was pretty easy to see coming and the overall plotlines were generally along a predictable path. I did like the way that Jayci was able to give a variation on the storyline mainly with the family dynamics and supporting characters. There were some great supporting characters in this book that I really enjoyed and definitely took the story to the next level.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

“‘Having things in common isn’t what makes people compatible. Sometimes it’s how their differences complement each other that makes them perfect for one another.”

I’m a sucker for royal romances. There’s something really eye-opening to find that a person from a common background and a person from royalty find that they connect more with each other than with people they’re normally surrounded with. That’s why I had hopes for this book when I read the cute premise. Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. The only things I liked about this romance story was the quote above, learning about Korean food and culture, and the MMC’s banter with his cousin 🙁

Prince Michel wasn’t a very well-developed main character. It seemed like the only thing he seemed to focus on besides sleeping, eating and breathing was finding a true love in America on a tight deadline of 2 months. Then when he meets Emma, all his thoughts are consumed by her and he can’t think of anything else but wanting to be with her. It felt very two-dimensional; it would’ve been nice to see more written about what his life in Rouleme was usually like, what he enjoyed about being crown prince/living in Rouleme, etc. He appealed to me because of how he was secretly a hopeless romantic at heart, but it shouldn’t have to be his only personality trait. I would’ve liked to see more of how he planned to rule Rouleme and just see more of his own internal thoughts of things that weren’t just Emma. He was like this the entire book.

I have lots to say about Emma Yoon. I related to the part of her where she wanted to build a safe future for herself and wanting to be proud of her heritage. But that’s all that really made her likeable? After she meets Michel, it seemed she was so obsessed with proving to herself that she could never be with him because they come from 2 very different backgrounds and worlds. Which made no sense whatsoever conflict-wise when she would switch around and say how she was starting to fall for him, or agree to more dates with him. She was honestly really irritating the more I read the book. Almost every single page, every single date, and every single encounter with Michel, she always points out how he hasn’t done this or that and she has; this makes them completely incompatible. It was so annoying; I don’t think I’ve rolled my eyes more for one main character ever 🙄 She meddled in Michel’s friends’ love life and relationship even though she didn’t know all the facts and then when Michel called her out on it, she grew defensive. She’s only known them for a few weeks, and he’s known them his whole life? I don’t think that necessarily promotes her to be giving life-changing relationship advice when she can’t even sort out her own relationship with Michel 🤷‍♀️

Their relationship was one big insta-love, miscommunication mess. It was not fun to read and I skimmed through most of the chapters once I hit the 40%-50% mark. Emma gets mad at Michel for proposing to her, even though the last few pages she was complaining why he still hasn’t proposed and doesn’t actually want to be with her. She wanted him to propose but didn’t want the consequences of him proposing to come after, like moving back to the country where he’s next in line to rule? Then she accuses Michel of having a backup plan for his life in the event she rejects him. But many times throughout the story, she says she will just treat her thing with Michel as a fling and then she will go back to going on her Auntie Soo’s matseons (formal blind dates) after he’s gone. Hypocritical, much?

Michel is totally heartbroken from her response and in return, decides to abdicate his crown. Which is so out of character for him because he’s portrayed as this ruler who cares so deeply for his people. And even though Emma gets mad at him for making her give up everything she has in LA, she gets even more upset when she finds out he’s abdicating just for her. If they’re not arguing, the only other thing they do is make out and sleep with each other constantly. It’s pretty much the foundation to their relationship; how the two fell in love with each other is beyond me. It just felt like lust and attraction 🙄

I can’t even process most of what happened because of how frustrating the characters were. They weren’t likeable and by the end, I wasn’t even rooting for them anymore 😐 I would’ve rather read a story about Michel’s friends, Gabriel and Sophie, rather than them. I’m disappointed overall, but not everyone has the same opinions or resonates with the same stories. Maybe this wasn’t for me, but it might be for you!

Tropes:
- Third person POV
- He falls first, she falls harder
- Korean-American culinary instructor FMC x Crown Prince MMC 🍴👑
- Open-door romance

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Looking for a book to make you hungry, revive your affection for fictional royalty and make you feel? That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee should be your next read.

She’s a culinary wiz looking to open up her own school, no time for distractions like love she has her heart set on an arranged marriage.

He’s a prince taking a gap year in America as a college professor. On the hunt for love to get out of an arranged marriage.

Their relationship seems doomed from the start. Can he win her mind over from thinking they are only fun as a fling and into believing they can have a lasting loving relationship?

Make sure you have your stomach full while reading this book. The recipes and descriptions of food will make you hungry. I am a fan of Jayci’s work, and this one is no exception. Olivia Song shone as the narrator for this audiobook. I really appreciated the correct way to pronounce some of the Korean dishes. It brought authenticity through to the character.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for the ALC.

I didn't overly enjoy this book. It was a cute story but there was very little substance. I didn't feel any great connection between the two main characters and the romance and the solutions to any obstacles were resolved in a whirlwind way.
My favourite part of the book was Emma's disastrous blind dates and Michel observing them while secretly admiring her. There was a lot of humour in these scenes. I also liked the references to culture and cuisine.