Member Reviews
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.
The narration of this audio book was excellent. There were a lot of characters with different nationalities and ethnicities that gave the narrator a lot to work with as far as different accents and nuances to character's voices overall. There were a couple of characters who I "heard" their voices a bit differently in my head than what was narrated, but I really enjoyed the audio listening experience. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.
This was a cute romance. I enjoyed reading about the multi cultures of Emma & Michel who were both very tight with their respective families and didn’t want to hurt anyone with their relationship. Emma was just a fun character. She was so loyal to her family and put them above herself at times. I’m happy that her character evolved throughout the book and eventually stood up for herself. I also enjoyed how Michel was genuinely a good person and so what on the shy side even though he would eventually be running a country one day. Their relationship was fun to watch evolve as was their personalities. There was definitely a lot of growth from both characters in this book from beginning to end.
The narrator did a fabulous job as well!
***Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***
This was a cute romance story, although some parts seemed a bit far-fetched (most of them related to Michel's prince status). Sometimes it felt like this book wanted to be a naive Christian romance, but then bam there was some heavy sex thrown in at various points in the book.
"That Prince is Mine" by Jayci Lee is a charming and romantic tale that sweeps you off your feet. Emma Yoon, an ambitious culinary instructor with dreams of opening her own school, finds herself in a whirlwind when she meets the dashing Professor Michel Chevalier—who just happens to be a prince in disguise.
Emma's journey to protect her godmother's reputation and pursue her own dreams is filled with humor, heart, and delicious descriptions of Korean royal court cuisine. Michel's quest to find love on his own terms adds an irresistible touch of fairytale magic to the story.
Jayci Lee weaves a beautiful narrative about love, duty, and the courage to follow one's heart. "That Prince is Mine" is a feel-good romance that will leave you smiling long after the last page.
This is such a charmingly hilarious contemporary romance. The story follows a Korean cuisine instructor who’s given up on love and the Prince of a small European nation who’s desperately looking for it. They have a wonderfully hot meet-cute, but unfortunately she was on a date set up by her Korean matchmaker aunt. This doesn’t deter our MMC, regardless of how hilariously bad he is at flirting.
This is such a fun and delightfully romantic story, and it’s performed by Olivia Song who truly brought these characters to life. I truly enjoyed sitting back and letting Jayci Lee and Olivia Song take me away.
Prince Michel (from a made up country in Europe) is pretending to be a professor at USC so he can find a love match in America and avoid being matched up with a wife he doesn’t know. Emma Yoon, a Korean cooking instructor, in an attempt to find someone she is compatible with but not in love with, has asked her auntie to help her find the perfect man on paper. The two meet randomly at a cafe and hit it off, much to Michel’s delight as it helps him with his goal, but not so much with Emma who finds herself falling head over heels for him. As one can imagine, this rom-com is full of comedy and some tears as the two try to figure their futures out. Important to note, this is more adult than young adult in terms of the romance scenes.
I thought this story was very very cute, definitely made me hungry. It was little bit of a fluffy, sweet, slow burn. But all in all a good book.This book has very lovable characters that made me laugh. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for spicy book , but it does have some steamy scenes. If you are looking for a good palette cleanser.
I really didn’t enjoy this audiobook. It would definitely benefit from having an additional male narrator. The female narrator gives a very good performance for the female parts but her narration of the male parts is abysmal. What should be deep-voiced, husky sounding men turns into completely effeminate fops. This really distracts from the story because I’m always having to stray into my mind and imagine what the dialogue should really sound like.
Add to this that I didn’t really enjoy the story because I felt the FMC was completely irrational with her thinking regarding relationships. Which, of course, she completely overcomes and all ends well but I just found the story frustrating.
I did enjoy the details regarding her cooking and the insight into Korean cuisine (which I’m eager to try due to this story) and learning more about Korean culture.
However, the premise of Emma’s conflicting emotions, overcoming her mommy issues, and her just plain stubbornness compounded with a third-act breakup and horrible sappiness made this book something that I just can’t recommend.
Narrator Olivia Song did a solid job with That Prince is MIne. I felt her voice conveyed the right emotions throughout the book and with a lot of side characters comes a lot of voices, all of which she nailed. Great audiobook!
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.
I just finished That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee and Narrated by Olivia Song and here are my thoughts on it.
Emma wants to open a culinary school and while she works towards that, she teaches brides-to-be how to create Korean dishes. When her godmother catches trouble in her matchmaking business because Emma isn’t married, Emma decides to allow her godmother to make her a match but when she sees Michel in the coffee place where she has all her first dates, something sparks between them but little does she know that Michel is a Prince and he has 3 months to find a bride for love or end up in an arranged marriage he really does not want.
I really enjoyed this audio. It was a bit slow to start but I was highly entertained all the way through. The narrator was amazing and did a great job!
Emma comes across a bit snobby and I did not enjoy that. I feel like she should have been more down to earth being that she should have been the balance to a prince falling for her and Michel literally was the sweetest man. It seemed a bit weird to have such an unusual dynamic but as it went on, it worked so who cares!
I thought it was a super sweet romance with some lovely dialogue and I loved all the foodie parts. I really enjoyed all the Korean food references and found it really gave the book some much appreciated dimension. I think the only thing missing was that she didn’t stand behind him and guide the knife through some vegetable items and they got down and dirty on the floor…. Would have made my day haha. (FYI that didn’t happen just in case I am not clear haha)
All in all it was a highly enjoyable book and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a multicultural romance.
4 stars
Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my ALC and ARC copies. OUT NOWWWWW
That Prince is Mine is a cute read. The audiobook narration is great too!
Emma a culinary instructor dreaming of opening her own institute to teach group classes. She allows her godmother to arrange her dates to find her match. During this time, Michel is also on his own quest for love but doesn't want to move forward with his arranged marriage and wants to find true love. A little wrench in this, he's a prince but doesn't want anyone to know.
All of the talk of food made me so hungry the whole way through🥰
Thanks to NetGalley for my ALC!
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. There's a lot of reasons why, and since I'm having a hard time making this review coherent, I'm going to list them as I remember while I write.
1. I found the main character to be a bit of a snob, which is funny considering the male lead is a literal prince. She often comments on the way people dress, her own attire, and how "presentable" people look.
2.Her job was unrealistic. Hyper specific, and we're supposed to believe she makes enough from this job to cover her wardrobe and living in one of the most expensive cities in LA? And if she came from a middle to upper-middle class family living in LA, which she claimed to, she should maybe go to therapy instead of being a grown person still traumatized by her parent's divorce.
3. The two lead's love felt forced, rushed and unfounded. Before he even has a proper conversation with her, he's somehow describing her personality to her as a compliment?
4.The book felt longer than it needed to be, almost twice as long. One of the main focuses of the first half is how her matchmaker aunt would feel about her dating a man in which she has nothing in common. Turns out, her aunt didn't care! Which leads me to my next frustration.
5. Almost 90 percent of the struggles this couple went through could have been easily avoided if they had clear communication, which at the ages of 28 and 34, they definitely SHOULD. They don't communicate well with each other, and it continues to confuse me how people who can't even talk each other through problems somehow think they could be in love with one another.
6. Emma spent almost the entirety of the book being unnecessarily stubborn and poorly lying to herself. She kept trying to convince herself her dreams were the most important thing to her, but she was willing to throw them away rather quickly.
One part of me is glad this was so long because I have no interest in ever hearing about these characters again.
I really struggled to get into this story. I liked the premise but was a bit confused by the plot. Emma wanted an arranged marriage but wasn't open to love. Wouldn't she have hoped to love to eventually fall in love with her spouse? I also would not have been clear where the characters were from if not for the synopsis. Overall I think it was a bit slow paced for me but fans of a slower paced story might enjoy it.
That Prince is Mine was a Macmillan Audio pick and I really enjoyed it! First of all, Emma is a Korean royal court cuisine instructor, so the book was filled with descriptions of food that made me super interested in trying more Korean foods! Secondly, it was cute that Emma thought she wouldn’t fall for someone who wasn’t “perfect on paper!”
Of course, a prince in disguise is a fun trope, so that aspect of the drama was a good time! The budding romance, especially him falling first, was super sweet. I loved that Emma brought Michel to do all sorts of “firsts,” and when Michel found a first for Emma, I added the Magic Castle to places I hope to visit one day—hopefully royalty somewhere can help me with an invite!
I give this book four stars! I recommend it to anyone who loves hidden royal romance and a resistant FLI and/or “he falls first.”
As for the audiobook, I enjoyed the narration by Olivia Song!
This audiobook was cute. Emma has a love for cooking and dream of starting her own culinary school. She must go on several dates to find a husband and get her dream. She meets Prince Michel.
I liked this one. I liked the connection between the hero and heroine. The plot was well developed. The narrator did a great job bringing this book to life. At times, I did find my attention wandering a little bit but overall it was an enjoyable listen. Huge thanks to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!
Title: That Prince is Mine
Author: Jayci Lee
Narrator: Olivia Song
A cute rom-com fairy tale come true for main character Emma Yoon, That Prince is Mine is a quick and cozy read about a Korean-American woman and a royal prince who fall in love despite their vastly different backgrounds.
What I loved:
* I know nothing about Korean culture, and so I loved seeing that sprinkled throughout, especially the food descriptions. I feel like it helped expose me to new things.
* Girl meets prince and falls in love. Even if Emma didn't fall in love immediately, this is a great escapist fantasy theme.
* This book was really cute. Superly cute. Very cozy and charming, which made it easy to read through like butter.
What I didn't love:
* The narrator choice. I think this was my biggest hang-up. The narrator was fine, but her Emma voice sounded too young, which made me very uncomfortable listening to the spicy parts. And Chevalier's accent didn't sound natural, so I kept imagining a cartoon in my head. Hindsight, I would have opted for the e-book version instead.
* I didn't love the characters. This might have gone into them being a little too cute. I think they didn't have enough depth for me to feel committed to their happiness. If anything, I was rooting for the bodyguard the whole time. BTW, I would totally read a spin-off book about the bodyguard.
Overall, would recommend for those who like really cute romances. 3/5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the digital audiobook for an honest review.
In this delightful romance, Emma Yoon is a Korean royal court cuisine instructor with a practical plan to find a perfect husband through arranged dates. Her goal is to support her godmother's matchmaking business and open her culinary school. However, when she meets Michel Aubert, a charming professor, and a secret prince, her carefully laid plans are thrown into disarray. Emma and Michel must navigate cultural expectations, hidden identities, and personal ambitions as their relationship blossoms. The story is a charming blend of romance and cultural exploration, featuring engaging characters and a satisfying emotional journey. It's a light, enjoyable read that leaves you rooting for love to conquer all.
This had such a promising, cute Cinderella story premise and ended up being almost painful to read. Here are my biggest critiques:
-The chemistry/relationship felt very superficial. I couldn't figure out what drove their connection other than pure carnal attraction
-Both characters were one-dimensional with their personalities revolving around their occupations
-There was way too much smut (seriously, it felt like they got freaky in every chapter) and that's something I don't mind when I feel like there is a strong emotional connection.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review
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.
This is such a cute story! I loved getting to know the main characters and their different backgrounds and cultures, especially the Korean cuisine. Michel fell fast and hard for Emma and I absolutely adored him! They had great chemistry and were both really relatable even though they were going through crazy circumstances.
This audiobook is perfect if you’re looking for a light romance full of humor and entertaining side characters. Olivia Song did a fantastic job narrating.
Listen if you like ⇣
🤍Romantic comedy
💚Opposites attract
🤍Prince in disguise
💚He falls first
🤍Love-averse FMC
💚Foodie vibes
🤍Slow burn
💚Obsessed golden retriever MMC
🤍Third person POV
💚Spice