Synopsis

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.

Amazon * B&N * Bookshop * Kobo

Review

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.

About the Author

JAYCI LEE writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance every free second she can scavenge and is semi-retired from her fifteen-year career as a defense litigator. She loves food, wine, and traveling, and incidentally, so do her characters. Jayci lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram