This was fun and I loved that the main characters were different. It was interesting to read about the food she made and his little country he ran. I need to google it and see if it's real. The match making dates were amusing. My fav was when she was trying her hardest to gross him out and leave! The prince was a delight and all those around him made good characters too

Reading this one was odd for me - I definitely enjoyed it while reading it, but I don't think it will stick with me. Overall, it was just fine.

I always love a romance that has some sort of cultural representation - particularly when that involves detailed and delicious descriptions of food! Additionally, I do think the setting of this book, LA, was really brought to life - it was descriptive and really helped you visual the area.

However, if I heard our FMC say one more time about how she was with the MMC just to prove incompatibility one more time...like we get it - it didn't need to be harped on that much. As such, I feel like the relationship wasn't truly developed - because we were only getting their motivations (prove incompatibility and choose his own spouse) over and over again. It felt like the feelings were developed out of thin air because so much time was given to the other motives.

Overall, I did enjoy the narration and don't think that contributed to my "just okay" feeling.

✨ALC Review✨ Another cute, solid romance. This one is about Michel, a European prince who has come to LA to find his one true love, and Emma, a Korean-American woman determined to marry a “perfect-on-paper” man. She doesn’t want love to destroy her like she has seen it do with her parents.

Michel sees Emma in the cafe at the hotel where he’s staying and immediately takes note. She’s gorgeous and elegant. She’s having little blind dates with men her match-making aunt is setting her up with. The name for these blind dates is Korean and I listened to it, so I’m not sure how to spell the word.

Anyway, after one terrible blind date, Michel sends over some madeleines and we’re off to the races.

Michel keeps his royal status hush hush for a while to make sure she likes him for who he is and not for his crown. Eventually she’s going to have to decide if leaving everything and everyone she loves in Los Angeles is something she can do in order to be with Michel.

I did think this story was a tad too long. I ended up listening to the last half at 2x the speed which I very rarely do. Overall though, good book. I very much enjoyed learning about some Korean culture and traditions. And it made me want to eat Emma’s carefully prepared cuisine!

I was given an ALC by #netgalley and @macmillan.audio. My thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #royalromance #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookstagram

Usually I am a Jayci Lee superfan but for me, this novel was just okay. Despite the spicy bits, the romance itself is what I'd expect from a Hallmark romance where the 'girl Friday' meets the handsome prince in disguise.

Cute but generic if readers are expecting a big more depth.

This is a 3.5 star rounded down for me. This was a light hearted read - perfect for the summer. I am always up for a royal romance. This book introduced us to Emma, a Korean Royal Court instructor and Michel - who is a visiting professor who is the crown prince of another nation. We have arranged marriages, unique characters, a sweet and easy romance, he falls first, Korean food and culture (I love food in books). With this said, I just wanted a little bit more depth to the story overall. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Macmillan Audio ALC
I’ll start with the narration being my favorite part of this book. Song was able to capture Emma and Michel so well that I kept listening. I also liked the Korean food and culture here with Emma’s character. Everything was described with delicious vividness. But I did not like the characters together. I am not a miscommunication lover and I spent the entire book thinking just talk to each other - especially since this is a royal romance. I was frustrated for most of the story and that ruined my enjoyment of it.

This audiobook was just okay to me. The story wasn't quite interesting enough to capture my attention for the long haul. I enjoyed the culture but the actual relationship seemed a bit contrived. As for the narration, I loved the narrator for the FMC parts. BUT this is a dual POV story, so an actual British male would have been a lot better for the MMC's parts.

Title: That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee
Narrator: Olivia Song

The narrator for this book was SO good, I thought Olivia did a great job with her voices. It was very clear who was who.

Unfortunately, the story itself was a little eh. It was too much indecisiveness for me. The side characters had their own little love story too that was cute! Double happy ending. Even though it felt like it took forever to get there.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this title!

I really wanted to love “The Prince is Mine” by Jayci Lee, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. The story felt predictable and lacked the spark I was hoping for. While the premise had potential, the characters felt a bit flat and the romance didn’t quite sizzle. I found myself losing interest halfway through and struggling to stay engaged. Overall, it was an okay read, but not one I’d rush to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. I also was granted access to the audiobook.

This was a delightful novel that takes a spin on the small town girl falling in love with a royal. Jayci Lee knows how to write a good romance. This book was sexy and fun. I loved reading this book and witnessing Michel and Emma falling in love.

This book was narrated by Olivia Song, whose voice may be familiar to you if you have listened to some of the books by Colleen Hoover. She was a great fit for this audiobook.

Overall this book was so adorable and swoonworthy and was really cute. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Jayci Lee writes next!

PS: this book may make you hungry, so be sure to have some snacks around!




Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Emma Yoon’s godmother is a renowned Korean matchmaker but Emma has no problem being single. When clients begin to question her godmother’s skills, Emma offers to begin the process of finding her own match. Prince Michel Aubert desperately wants to avoid an arranged marriage. He hopes that quickly finding someone on his own terms is a much preferable solution. When Emma and Michel meet by chance at a cafe, sparks fly, but she has no idea of his true identity.

That Prince is Mine is a stand-alone. This royal romance contains a good mix of both sweet and spicy scenes.

Secret identity romances always get pretty angsty especially the longer the deception holds out. When the secret keeper turns out to bea royal that adds an extra layer of chaos. The MCs have very opposite lives but are both looking for the same thing (marriage) even if it’s not for the same reason. There’s still tons of chemistry between them and plenty of great banter. I LOVED all of the food descriptions!

The audiobook is very well done. Olivia Song does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. There are so many different unique voices.

I have read a couple other of Jayci Lee’s books and do really enjoy the vivid style of her writing. I look forward to reading more other work in the future.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I like learning in books, no matter what genre. I did not expect THAT PRINCE IS MINE to teach me so much about Korean royal court cuisine. Also, silly me, after reading the book blurb, I thought that the FMC Emma was the cook for the Korean royal court and fell in love with a crowned prince of a different nation in disguise, not a chef of Korean royal court cuisine wanting to open a culinary in Los Angeles. I expected rival courts. What I got was a local chef who makes excellent food and a prince who falls head over heels for her. It wasn’t what I expected, but I am now a Jayci Lee fan!

Emma and Michel’s banter was witty, and I giggled a lot! Don’t let the cute cover fool you—this book has chili peppers! It also has excellent side characters.

If you listen to audiobooks, Olivia Song’s narration is terrific. Just like the book, she makes it fun and entertaining.

THAT PRINCE IS MINE is a fun romcom that you will enjoy if you are a royal romance reader. I had a lot of fun with it!

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the ALC!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance copy! This book was really fun. Emma was a bit juvenile at times, but overall I enjoyed this book. That Prince is Mine is very wholesome and lighthearted with an enjoyable plot and a little bit of spice, which was appreciated! The characters were all so great and I would love to read more about them if this were a series.

mma teaches classes on Korean royal court cuisine, who hopes to one day settle down with a nice Korean man with similar interests. Michel is the crown prince of a small country, who is posing as a university professor in the hope he will find true love before he is forced to marry for political reasons. Emma's professional matchmaker god mother convinces her to seek out a husband, meeting all of her dates at the cafe Michel happens to frequent. Michel convinces her to date him and spends the rest of the book trying to convince her that they are made for each other.

I found this book refreshingly realistic. The author brought up real problems concerning their differences and the problems they caused, as well as how their differences could make a relationship stronger! I also loved that the supporting characters were given some background and story lines as well.

This book has some fluff and a bit of spice, but is all around a perfect weekend read! I would love to read more books from this author!

❥ 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.