That Prince is Mine

by Jayci Lee

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.

Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma's dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother's reputation and her dream--even if she's not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Adult, Royalty

391 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2024

About the author

Jayci Lee writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance featuring Korean American main characters. Her books have been in O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter, E! News, and Women’s World. Jayci is retired from her fifteen-year career as a litigator because of all the badass heroines and drool worthy heroes demanding to have their stories told. Food, wine and travel are her jam. She makes her home in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys, and a fluffy rescue.

Reviews

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

➸ 3.5 stars

“People who've led similar lives with similar experiences miss out on the thrill of discovering new things together—experiencing each other's firsts together."

Thank you to netgalley for the arc! This book was soooo cuteeee!! I was smiling like every chapter! I liked the overall story and the characters and enjoyed every second :)

Emma - She’s a culinary instructor who dreams of opening up her own school, is searching for the perfect-on-paper husband and has forever believed marriage would only work if people have things in common and are compatible. Despite her annoying me a few times, I liked her!!

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.”

Michel - He’s a prince… in disguise! Oh and a hopeless romantic! Searching for his soulmate! I LOVED his character and wow did he have a way with words!! (He threw pebbles at her window in the middle of a night after a argument with the fmc earlier that night to apologize it was so cute just wanted to mention it haha)

✧𓈒⋆. "𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮—𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞."

Emma and Michel - AHHH THEH WERE SO CUTE!!!! Michel was immediately drawn to her and Emma was definitely interested but only agreed to the dates to prove they didn’t have anything in common but as they kept spending more time with each other, those lines started to blur and they started to fall in love despite being the complete opposites of each other. (Him willing to give up the crown just so that he could be with her ahhhh just wanted to mention it because he’s such a romantic)

Quotesssss!!

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞. 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐈'𝐥𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲.”

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.”

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 … 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 … 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭.”

✧𓈒⋆. “𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 ... 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞? 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝.”

Now as much as I loved this book, there is a few things I didn’t like… as cute as they were it also felt like instalove :( I didn’t like the third act break up and the ending felt a bit unrealistic even tho it was a happy ending and I’m glad it was! But she quite literally left everything she worked so hard for and forgot her dreams that she’s so passionate about to be with him! It was her choice but I just wish she could’ve done both idk… or at least have something in the epilogue that showed she still continued it on the side or something IDKKK

[jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

that prince in mine follows emma, a korean cuisine instructor, and michel, a prince, in this light fluffy romance.

i just don’t think this book is for me, for how long it is i don’t think there’s any sort of depth to any of the characters, the love was extremely one dimensional with absolutely no connection between the characters.

i will say i did love the incorporation of food, and the shout-out to h-mart <3 but besides that i think this brings up my new discovery of hating books set in the city i live in. i think this story-line had a lot of potential because i liked emma but in the end this turned out to be extremely boring and incredibly forgettable.


thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf

insanely forced and extremely uncomfortable 🕺🏻

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐.5/5 - I've been loving all of the royal romances lately!! And I'm loving that this wasn't a prince of England but rather another country that would be flexible with a mixed heritage marriage. (There are very few of those going around in today's day and age, really!)

THOUGHTS:
- Made me want to learn traditional Korean cuisine because my mouth watered the entire time I was reading!
- I had no idea until recently that in some cultures - arranged marriages were still a thing? So as I was reading - it was fun to immerse myself again in a culture I'm not intimately familiar with.

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

[Mai H. · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Bryce Rocks My Socks · Rating 2 out of 5]

a book hasn't taken me this long to read since i tried to get thru the first chapter of Les Mis

forgot to say thank u to netgalley for taking a week off my life (jk im super super grateful pls send me more books)

[Ayushi (bookwormbullet)]

I would love to review this book but unfortunately, St. Martin's Press still hasn't addressed and denounce the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee, offered tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused, nor addressed how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and other BIPOC influencers, authors and readers.

Visit Readers For Accountability to learn more.

[alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

“‘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!

[mel ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

˚₊ ❥ 𝟑/𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 」

I wish I liked this book more but oh well. I definitely could see this being a much better read if it had more.. story? details? im not sure really. I didn’t really feel anything for the prince, he was just a character? Didn’t know much about him and didn’t get to grow an attachment. The romance was nice though! It was cute and fluffy, a quick read as well.

[sarah.readsromance · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee was a pure delight to read. The story begins with Emma a young woman whose passion for the art of cooking and her dreams to start her own culinary school were so much fun to read along with. She has big dreams and a strong head on her shoulders but would like a compatible partner to share life with. Enter her not so fairy but actual Godmother Auntie Soo who just happens to be an accomplished matchmaker. Auntie Soo has an excellent reputation for making strong matches and Emma definately doesn’t want to be the one who wrecks that streak. She goes along with the dates she sets up and though thoroughly researched and in theory should be a hit have left a lot to be desired. But here comes Michel. A secret prince posing as just your average visiting professor. He watches her meet these men at the local cafe and part ways after a polite amount of time has gone by. Michel witnesses her latest date end poorly and interjects. This sparks a series of events that were just so much fun to experience. The banter and quick wit was unstoppable and there was never a dull moment. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC

[Bailey Chadwick]

DNF at 80 pages

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the kitchen, Emma is a queen—she teaches Korean royal court cuisine, and she has every reason to believe that her business will continue to grow. She doesn't have much dating experience, but she's clear in her expectations: her godmother will arrange a match for her, and she'll end up with a husband who is perfectly suited to her. Someone compatible. Not, say, a prince from a small European country who is from a different culture and class and shares almost none of her experiences...

I am a sucker for a royal romance, which is what led me to this book. That Prince Is Mine has the added benefit of some cultural diversity that I don't often see in romance novels—I've read books in which the heroine is a cook and the hero a prince, but never one delving into the intricacies of Korean cuisine. (The ARC I had didn't have a final cover, and by the time I picked up the book I'd already forgotten the plot details, so I was a bit disappointed to find that the prince in question is Generic European—one of these days perhaps we'll get a Generic Asian prince!)

The book leans rather fluffier than I expected, a bit like an extended Harlequin or perhaps a soap opera. Partly because so many of the side characters have romantic plots, the plot pretty much all moves quickly to romance, leaving little room for anything else. I'd have loved to see a bit more from the characters, especially things that aren't so hormone-driven. It's the end of the book before we learn that Sophie (Michel's bodyguard and childhood friend) used to paint, for example, and I can't help but think that if she'd not had a romance plot, we could have seen more of her personality (followed by a separate book about her, if the author were so inclined).

Generally speaking, this is not one to pick up if you're looking for more depth in a romance novel, but it would be a good read for those looking for a bit of instant-princess fluff (bonus points if you salivate over Korean food!).

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Sarah (berriesandbooks)]

DNFed @15%

The male MC exceeded his allotment for misogyny and growling at 15%.

I will not leave a rating/full review since I did not finish the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the arc.

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a lighthearted read.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, in terms of a royal romance. The book focuses on Emma, a Korean Royal Court cuisine instructor, and Michel, a visiting professor at USC who happens to be the crown prince of a European nation. Emma is also looking for a husband to help her business and that of her professional matchmaking godmother. Taking a break from dating men that are "compatible" with her on paper, Emma dates Michel to get him out of her system. But Michel is also looking for someone to marry for love otherwise he will have an arranged marriage.

I enjoyed the story overall, and I thought each of the characters had an interesting backstory. Since there was so much information on Emma, I would have appreciated a bit more insight into Michel's story than just his basic background. The characters were definitely unique though, and I enjoyed reading about a different side of them.

For a book that was clearly intended for a mature audience, I felt like the writing didn't reflect it. The writing felt too juvenile for the plot it was telling. The characters seemed only to have basic thoughts, and I was confused how Michel believed Emma was the one for him after just one date. However, when I put that aside, I really did enjoy the book. One of my favorite parts was definitely reading about Korean food and culture, as well as Emma's passion for it. It was just so obvious how important that was to her character, and it really seemed genuine.

This was a good book, and I would rate it 4/5 stars, just because I wanted a little more from the characters. I would probably recommend if you're just looking for a light read though.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Bethanys_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

This book was super cute! It was leaning close to five stars until the miscommunication trope came in strong. That trope drives me insane which took away a bit of my enjoyment but I still really loved the story and thought it was such a fun premise! This was my first book by this author and I definitely want to read more!

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma and Michel are polar opposites. He's an European prince, and she teaches courtly Korean cooking in LA. But sparks fly, even if Emma has two have a million reasons why it could never work out...right?

I did enjoy it. The cooking scenes were cute, and the sex scenes were hot and horny (and spicier than I anticipated). I liked Emma. I liked Michel. I liked the supporting cast and the side-romance of Sophie and Gabriel.

However, while Sophie and Gabriel's relationship (which took place mainly off-page) worked for me, there were aspects of Emma and Michel's that just really didn't. This is going to sound contradictory, but the book was both too long and repetitive, and also too short time in time span. A me preference—I like the leads to have just a bit more time getting to actually know each other before they throw caution to the wind and marry.

Also, another aspect that just didn't work was the "almost a virgin" first sex scene. It just...there were parts of that scene that just rubbed me the wrong way, and most of it was Michel's really weird headspace about Emma's lack of experience. I might just be too gay though.

However, it's a cute Hallmark-channel-esque royal romance.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid, enjoyable read for me!The concept of this book is really fun, but the plot just didn't hold up. Still romance was sweet and fluffy.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming romance between Emma -- an American-Korean chef and commoner in L.A. -- and Michel, a visiting USC prof who hides his true royal heritage. Enchanting!

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publishing.

I am a secret sucker for romances like the synopsis given for this one. Even more when it sounds like a K-Drama! So, reading this book was fun. The book was sweet. When I mean sweet, the male falls first and then girl falls shortly after. For 60% of the book they are absolutely sweet with one another. What is there to hate?

Well, I didn't hate it. ... I had some meh feelings that.. there was no real conflict outside of him not wanting to tell her who he really was. So, the book literally hinged on her accepting or not accepting who he was. But at 60% into the book, she finds out. Then, you're wondering what is the issue that will pop up to bring them conflict.

It was weak - he wanted marriage, she didn't. This is after knowing one another for three months. He was on a crunch time, he had to find a romance or else return back home and marry the girl his parents indicated he was arranged to marry. Oh. He never told his parents about this.

So, if you read the reviews on this book, most of the readers had the same issues. It was cute. But take away the cute bits, there is nothing else here. It's upsetting because I really liked them together, but hinging the entire book on this weak, crucial moment? Not good.

[Kassie Joslin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but I wasn’t as invested in the story as I wanted to be. And the ending, especially when it came to the FMC’s hopes and ambitions, let me down.

[Emily Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Prince is Mine
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Jayci Lee

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma's dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother's reputation and her dream--even if she's not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.

My Thoughts: This was a cute story. I have been a fan of Lee’s works for a while and personally love them. Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor teaching royal cuisine. She wants to open her own culinary school. She has a close relationship with her godmother, a matchmaker, and would do anything to make her godmother happy. Her godmother has a series of dates set up for Emma to find a husband, not necessarily love at first. Most end in disaster. Prince Michel Aubert is bound by royal responsibility, including an arranged marriage. However, if he finds love first, he can escape the arrange marriage aspect of the responsibility. Emma might just be the woman he is looking for, however, Emma is re-evaluating how she feels about “love.” This follows the tropes of royal romance, opposite attract, arranged marriage aspect, and food incorporation.

Emma believes that marriage will only work between two people if they are compatible, as she feels two people will eventually fall out of love and if they are not compatible, they is nothing to fall back on and the relationship will end in divorce. Michel is a prince under the guise of a professor at USC. He is in America searching for his soulmate, as he believes in true love. There was an immediate attraction between Emma and Michel. They started dating for different reasons, he believed she was his soulmate and she wanted to prove that they were not compatible. This even carried an insta-love aspect. The characters were well developed, likable, were witty, had chemistry, and were intriguing. I did love the supporting characters and the side romance that developed there. I would have liked to see a little more backstory built up, even saying that, the characters were well thought out. The author’s writing style was complex, funny, passionate, and creative. I do think the third act breakup could have gone a tad differently, or not at all.

The narrator, Olivia Song, did a good job with voice variation matching character distinction. The pace and flow were spot on to listen at 2x speed with no issues of following along. Even with the plot shortcomings, overall, I really did enjoy this story and thought it was a cute read. Again, I love Lee, so I will always pick up the next novel of hers. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys an adorable love story.

[Lisa Leone-campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jayci Lee has written another adorable romance with lovable characters and a fun, interesting story. That Prince is Mine has an imaginative, wishful plot which will keep you smiling, anticipating what will happen next.

Emma Yoon's only ambition in life is to open her own culinary school. She is Korean and realizes there is definitely a market for this type of cuisine. If only her godmother, Auntie Soo felt the same way. You see Emma is coming upon her thirtieth birthday, one which her godmother feels Emma will be considered too old to marry.

Because Aunt Soo is a matchmaker, she decides she needs to intervene in Emma's life and get her married. Emma is horrified, but of course can't go against her godmother's wishes. So, as she begins to "date" Autie's good on paper men, Emma always seems to find something about them she does not like. Then one day while on one of these "dates" she looks up and sees an amazing site.

Enter Michel Chevalier, who not only immediately catches Emma's eye, but he sets his sights on wooing her. But of course, there are problems. He is from another country and is only in the United States for a few months as a professor and oh by the way, he is the Prince of the small country he comes from and has escaped because he is supposed to marry a girl which had already been arranged when he was born.

But, they do begin to fall in love and Michel tries to keep the "baggage" he has brought to the states a secret, but of course, that is difficult when you are trying to run a country in secret. Plus, there is the fact that he will soon be leaving.

Through the course of their dating though, he realizes he wants Emma to come back with him. But how can he intrude on her own dreams and whisk her away from everything and everyone she knows and loves. Plus, there is still the problem of his upcoming nuptials.

Meanwhile, as Emma begins to fall in love, she herself has reservations. How does she explain to Auntie Soo that this is the man she wants to be with knowing he will be leaving soon.

Of course, when the situation slowly becomes exposed it leaves both of them trying to figure out where to go next. Especially as Michel's time is coming to an end in the States.

How on earth can these two make this relationship work? Humorously, of course and with some friends who themselves are having relationship issues and perfect sidekicks.

The Prince is Mine is absolutely delightful, and royal!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sGriffin #JayciLee #ThatPrinceisMine for the advanced copy.

[Nashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was an enjoyable read. The plot was fun and lighthearted, but when it came down to a strong foundation for it and its characters it fell flat and left me craving more. Which is upsetting because the book started strong and somewhere along the way I don't know what happened. It started moving too quickly and when it came to developing the characters it seemed like an uneven playing field. We knew so much about Emma and her family, but Michel was swept under the rug and I just didn't connect with him.

It was a cute book and it had its sweet moments. It was just missing something in their connection and relationship. The secrecy, jealousy, miscommunication didn't do it for me. And the resolution of their issues was just not realistic, felt like just a means to an end to get the story moving along. And I can't believe this but their relationship was sometimes purely physical. And smut without real plot is not my thing. Yet it frustrates me because it had so much potential and I did enjoy the Korean culture and how it all revolved around food. I actually ended up craving more insight and scenes of the side characters stories than them.

Needless to say, just because it wasn't the book for me doesn't mean it may not be the book for someone else!

Thank you Netgalley and Jayci Lee for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Solei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh I was not the biggest fan of this one. Everything just fell pretty flat for me. The beginning was okay but things never really picked up and I never got any true depth with the story or the characters. I got to the point where I didn’t really care if I finished the story or not and if I had been reading it physically instead of through audiobook I probably would have ended up dnfing. I just felt pretty bored.

There was also so much miscommunication that was so frustrating and could have been easily avoided. Also I don’t understand why Emma had to give up all of her dreams and aspirations. I think she easily could have compromised and still been able to pursue the things she loved in the end.

This one just wasn’t for me.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out as a sweet rom-com, with some hopeful Princess Diaries vibes. I liked the culinary instructor aspect and the delving into Korean food--fascinating and yummy!
But oh my word. The melodrama, and the emotional extreme whiplash of these characters made me eye-roll a LOT. I kept reading because I wanted to see the ending but there were so many "this is it or else" inner monologues that kept being broken because wow the inability to function without wanting to rip their clothes off. It was dramatic without needing to be, full of emotional unintelligence, and utterly a literary caricature. I skipped the superfluous sex scenes and hoped that either Emma or Michel would grow up but it never happened.

[sama ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎀 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆.” 🎀

🌷 ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs 🌷

2.5 ✮ honestly, I didn’t hate it. it was pretty cute towards the middle but lost me in the beginning and end.

i think they got together way too quickly to my liking, and then the third act breakup happened too late into the story that made me not so invested. there was no balance. i also feel like stakes weren’t as high as they should’ve been. like he’s literally a prince but they just kissed in public like it was nothing and im just like? isn’t it supposed to be a little discreet?

👑 ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ 👑

🇰🇷 the culture. emma, our female main character, is korean so we got to learn more about her culture and traditions which I enjoyed very much!! it’s very refreshing to have a new type of character as most I’ve read are american.

🤴🏻the prince. whilst I didn’t really simp for him all that much, I still have to admit he is pretty adorable. he was so down bad crying at the gym for her and so in love that I was just like wow 🥹🥹 so cutesie <33

🍜 the food. emma is a korean cuisine instructor and the way she always described the food was so amazing i was literally getting hungry just from her words. especially when ive just been eating cereal and ramen all week, now i wanna go to a korean restaurant and get some bibimbap or something 🤭

🧸 ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴏɴ 🧸

sorry, again, for the short reviews 😭 im trying I promise <3 overall this was super adorable, for fans of insta-love and cutesie, rom-com vibes, this may be the book for you !! 🩷 also for kdrama fans~~ there was a mention of hyunbin and when i tell you I SCREAMED bc I love him so much 🙈

thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet romance. It was the break I needed from thrillers and suspense novels. 

Emma is a woman after my own heart. She loves to cook and teaches Korean Royal Court cuisine. There are a lot of Korean words thrown into the story, but I loved watching the process evolve and want to attend this school to learn how to cook these delicacies. 

Michel is trying to escape an arranged marriage, so he comes to California to find his true love. I wonder why he chose California versus anywhere else since he is a Prince, but perhaps it is because his cousin lives here, and he would have someone in his corner.

I really enjoyed watching the story unfold as Emma and Michel fight their feelings for one another. It does seem rushed, but they do have limited time to discover if they are right for one another. Of course, Emma fights it the most as she believes that her perfect match will be perfect on paper. But she decides to throw caution to the wind and see what happens with Michel.

One of my favorite characters is Michel's bodyguard, Sofie. She is his friend, but she is also there to protect him. From what I am not sure because he is using a different last name, and it doesn't seem like anyone really knows who he is. But that could change at any moment. 

There are some wonderful family dynamics, and the interactions between all of the characters feel honest and true.

If you like "royalty in disguise" romance novels, you might enjoy this one. We give it 4 paws up.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming contemporary romance with a Korean-American heroine and a European prince.

The book alternates between Emma and Michel's POVs.

Emma's dream is to open a culinary school. Her godmother is a Korean matchmaker. Michel is the crown prince of Rouleme. However he is in Los Angeles as a visiting professor in international relations at USC. His bodyguard Sophie and his cousin Gabriel are both super fun supporting characters.

I really liked seeing so much of the Korean culture, especially in regards to cooking. And I thought that the romance was so good. Emma and Michel made such a cute couple!

I definitely liked these two together. But some of the miscommunication was so frustrating. However the end was really good. Overall I definitely enjoyed this book.

Thanks to SMP Romance and netgalley for allowing me to read this book.