That Prince is Mine by. Jayci Lee | ARC Review – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: That Prince is Mine

Author: Jayci Lee

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 7/30/24

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Interracial Romance, Foodie Romance, Royal Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

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.

Content Warning:

This one was a cute, fluffy romance. Emma is a culinary instructor who’s matchmaking godmother is trying to find her a husband. Michel is a Prince disguising himself as a professor at USC. For the most part the romance is straight-forward and kind of reminds me of the movie The Prince & Me, except with older characters. I thought their romance was very sweet with some spicy scenes here and there, but for the most part I thought this story was wholesome.

I did like the family themes in this book. Emma is Korean-American and she has a great support system in her dad, brother and godmother. I loved the Korean foods mentioned in the story. On the other side, I loved Michel’s relationship with his cousin, Gabriel. Both characters valued family and I thought they made a good match.

There isn’t much conflict between Michel and Emma except for the part of him being a prince and what that means for her when he tells her about it.

My Thoughts:

This one is an easy read. It’s a fluffy romance without much conflict. I thought the family, different cultures, and food themes were nice. Emma and Michel’s romance is very sweet so if you are into sweet, easy romances, you will enjoy this one.