This book is a cute mix of teammates to lovers with secret identity! Loved Farron and Tore and am excited for the rest of the books in the series - where we can follow the Royals on their Prince Pact!

Tore is a Prince of Norway, and at an event with multiple Royal families, he talks with her Prince friends from other countries about how sometimes they wish they could experience life without their title - what would life be like for them? Tore had to turn down a chance to play football because of his responsibilities, so when the opportunity arises that he can join a college soccer team, he can experience life at an American college for a year.

Hawley University in Ohio is the school Tore ends up at. When he joins the soccer team, he meets the captain, Farron Casey, who immediately takes a disliking to him. Even without knowing Tore is a Prince, Farron knows they come from different lives. Farron has worked for everything he has - he helps support his family while in school and playing soccer, just to keep them afloat. He immediately clocks Tore as a rich, spoiled kid and wants nothing to do with him.

The dislike gets stronger and stronger until they physically clash, and they have to figure out what this means. After all, they're both straight. Right?

I think this book handled the dislike to love in a believable way so that it wasn't an overnight change and we were able to actually experience the feelings develop.

This was enjoyable and I do recommend for anyone who likes dislike to love, teammates, class difference (& discussions/thoughts around that), hookup to lovers, and secret identity (especially of royals!)

What a fun read this was..

Other than the fact that I thought it went from hate to love way too quickly, I quite enjoyed my reading of this book.

It was nice to see that the characters did not mind being gay or bi at all and no homophobia happened, refreshing.

I was really rooting for the main characters by the end and I would've loved a few more chapters to develop their relationship more.

Overall I'd recommend it for people looking for a quick read, nice romance.,

4⭐️ This was such a cute book. I’m a sucker for a royal romance novel, and this one was a fun quick easy read!

This is SUCH A FUN M/M, Sunshine/Grumpy romance read.

Tore, a Norwegian prince, enrolls in an American college with the goal of being out of the spotlight and living like a normal person. His bubbly and positive personality and serious skill on the soccer field immediately gets under the skin of Farron. Farron grew up poor and is just trying to focus on school, soccer and providing for his family where he can. Tore disrupts his plans and Farron immediately judges him as a spoiled rich boy.

Guys. This is such a fun read with great character building, well written scenes that are believable and a satisfying ending with a bow. Highly recommend.

Spice: 2.8/5
Readability: 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC. I flew through it in one sitting! It read like Red, White & Royal Blue fanfic, which is fine by me.

Nitpick: The illustration on the book cover is annoyingly inaccurate. The prince should be blonde, and the soccer team’s colors are blue and yellow. It shouldn’t be difficult to get basic colors correct.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This MM romance follows Tore, a Norwegian student who has decided to spend a year in the USA, and Farron, who is the captain of his college soccer team. Tore is in fact the Prince of Norway, but intends to keep that to himself. When Tore joins the team, he and Farron seem to dislike each other, until an unexpected kiss marks the beginning of an important journey for them both.

This book made me smile, as I found both Tore and Farron to be quite funny, and endearing as well. I also found it funny that in the beginning, they didn't seem to get along very well. They had interesting chemistry, and I was keen to see how they might develop as characters later on.

I found it quite heartwarming to follow Tore and Farron’s journey. Love and attraction are complicated, they are not easy to explain, and not everything needs an explanation. I think their story speaks to the fact, and it's a reminder that sometimes, the best things in life are unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t for me I found the pacing to be off and just didn’t find the characters to be particularly unique or compelling. They were also so young and felt young. I probably would have enjoyed this more if I was a bit younger.

4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Nora Phoenix for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! This was my first read from Nora Phoenix and I can easily say it will not be my last, especially upon hearing this is planned to become a series 👀 It took a little while for me to get into the book at first but once I did, I could not put it down until I was done with it. The last half of the book had me sitting on the edge of my seat!



Tropes:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Opposites attract
- College soccer x undercover prince
- Enemies to lovers

3.5⭐
Genre ~ MM sports romance
Series ~ Prince Pact #1
Setting ~ Ohio
Publication date ~ March 25, 2025
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Est Page Count ~ 282 (p+ 30 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 8 hours 4 minutes
Narrators ~ Charlie Klæboe Svensson, Barclay Craig
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ double bi~awakening, lots of soccer, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, enemies to lovers, some steamage

Tore & Farron
Tore has left Norway to go to university in the states. He wants to stay incognito and doesn’t tell anyone that he’s a Prince and 4th in line to the throne. He’s really excited to play soccer and learn about a different culture than he’s used to. He wasn’t expecting to get the evil eye from a certain teammate over and over again for no reason.

Farron is the captain of the soccer team and isn’t too thrilled to have a new foreign rich boy on his team. It’s a classic case of a poor boy judging a book by its fancy cover without seeing what's inside first. Assume could be his middle name. This made it take quite a while for me to warm up to him. However, I did love how committed he was to his family. I loved the Thanksgiving chapter and how Tore was welcomed with open arms and truly seemed like he enjoyed spending time with them.

Overall, I definitely had to picture these two as adults and not college age, but I felt their awakening was realistic. The epilogue was a nice look into what's happening in 3 years.

Cover gripe ~ Farron is on the left and Tore is on the right. Tore is blonde and Farror is dark haired.

Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the above info for reference. I am happy to see there are 2 narrator being both characters are male.

I really wanted to love this book—I thought it would be exactly my kind of story. The premise definitely had potential and is usually something I enjoy. Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite work for me.

The story felt a bit rushed, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The "enemies to lovers" trope didn’t come across as very believable; the tension between the characters felt forced and exaggerated, rather than organic. The overall plot seemed a bit flat, and the dialogues were quite cliché at times.

That said, I do think The Prince and the Player could be a good fit for readers who are new to the MM romance genre or are simply looking for a light, escapist read. But for someone who reads more regularly in this genre, the story doesn’t offer anything particularly new or memorable.

The writing is sharp, with plenty of humor and just the right amount of angst. Phoenix balances the lighthearted moments with more serious themes—identity, expectations, and the fear of being truly seen. And while the secret identity trope adds an extra layer of drama, the reveal is handled well without feeling overly dramatic or unrealistic.

If you love MM romance with great character dynamics, sizzling tension, and a touch of royalty, The Prince and the Player is a must-read. The only reason it’s not a full 5 stars for me is that some of the conflicts wrap up a little too neatly, but overall, it's a fantastic start to the Prince Pact series.

A charming and addictive romance filled with heart, humor, and heat. Definitely worth picking up!

Started: 24 March 25
Finished: 24 March 25

Rivals to lovers? Sign me up!

The Prince & Me (2004) but make it MM. I loved this novel a lot. You have the hidden identity, rival at first sight, friends with benefits to falling for each other and hidden identity resulting in a misunderstanding. You can’t go wrong.

Great characters, wonderful friendships and really nice buildup between the two main characters with a little added spice.

Really enjoyed this authors work and the flow to this novel was great, it kept me hooked from start to finish.

Being a prince may seem like a fairytale, but to me, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. That’s why I’m excited when I get permission from my uncle—the king of Norway—to go undercover as a student at an American college for a year. And I’m even more ecstatic to be selected for their football team. Soccer, I mean. The only problem? Farron, the team captain, dislikes me on sight. Determined to win him over, I start a charm offensive, but nothing works. He only hates me more.

Until the animosity comes to an explosive release…and we end up kissing each other. How did that happen when neither of us has ever been attracted to a guy before? Farron wants to let it run its course and get it out of our system, but I doubt that’ll work. I’m falling for him hard, but he has no idea who I really am. I fear that if he finds out, he’ll never speak to me again…

Super tropey, LOTS of chemistry. I loved the characters and had fun reading this, even though it was super predictable. If you're looking for something groundbreakingly new, this isn't it. But sometimes you're just in the mood for a fun story with your favorite tropes, and this is it! I go back and forth, and this was a lovely read for me! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

What a lovely romance honestly. Theres a lot of spice in here, is someone wants to know. I wasnt expecting that but whew did i like it.
This is a red white royal blue x soccer mix so if those are things you love to read, this is right up your alley. I was also reminded of the netflix show young royals.
I absolutely enjoyed this and i bet you will too!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

This book really did the enemies to lovers trope really well. I loved Farron and Tore. Farron started out with a major chip on his shoulder but he did come around and become a total softy for Tore. Very Hot!! I hope this is a series and we get the stories of Nils, Foris and Greg too.
Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

The tension between these two is so thick! The book takes off fast following the prologue with the beginning of the soccer season and introduces Tore as the international student who was put on the soccer team as a first strong midfielder. His rivalry with Farron begins immediately due to Farron's distrust of the wealthy and it is an uphill battle for these two. Until during an away game the coach forces them together to work through it and all that hate turns into something hotter.
The pacing of this book was great, the tension and chemistry was well developed, the conflict regarding the Princes identity was handled very well.
Definitely interested in reading the rest of the friends' adventures as they explore what life is like when you aren't royal.

I absolutely loved The Prince and the Player by Nora Phoenix! Once I was finally able to sit down and truly focus on my reading, I couldn't put it down. I love how Tore wanted to take a chance and experience normalcy for once in his life. I loved the enemy tension between Tore and Farron at the beginning. I will say that I was wanting Farron to grow up a bit and actually get to know Tore before making and decisions. I loved when they got together. I literally squealed when it happened. The last 20% had me feeling anything. My heart shattered and I broke down crying, but then it was pieced back together and grew two sizes too big. I would love a little novella of their future.

Meet Prince Tore Haakon Anders Von Glücksburg, the nephew of King Ragnar and Queen Hilda of Norway. As the fourth in line to the throne, Tore is desperate to experience what it feels like to be normal. So he and his three friends—Floris, who is fifth in line to the Dutch throne; Nils, who is fifth in line to the Swedish throne; and Greg, who is about to become the Duke of York—make a pact to convince their respective families to allow them to travel abroad undercover to study and live a normal life for a year.

This pact leads Tore on an adventure to a college in America, where he studies and plays soccer. It is here that he meets Farron, the captain of the soccer team, who despises Tore at first sight. As Farron sees Tore as perpetually happy, polite, charming and rich—characteristics that starkly contrast with him and his own struggles to pay for college and support his mother and siblings.

So to help the two young men get along, their coach decides they should share a room on away trips. However, things don't go as planned. As the tension between them quickly escalates, culminating in a passionate encounter. Which complicates their relationship even further.

Yet, realising that they need to face their feelings, Tore and Farron decide to embrace their attraction, hoping that a single encounter will help them move on. But they soon discover that their connection runs deeper than they imagined, leading both into a journey of bi-awakening that feels genuine and well-developed.

However, Tore hasn’t been completely honest with Farron, and it doesn’t take long for Farron to learn the truth. Now he must decide if he can love a prince—especially one who lives thousands of miles away.

And with plenty of tension, fun, and emotion. This is a story that is full of heart. That fans of sports and royal romances are sure to enjoy.

The Prince and the Player by Nora Phoenix is a compelling mix of sports romance, slow-burn chemistry, and emotional depth. The story follows a talented but guarded soccer player and a charming prince with a passion for the game, navigating their growing connection while balancing their careers and personal struggles.

What stands out most is the character development—both leads are well-written, with distinct personalities and believable motivations. The slow-burn romance is full of tension, making every small moment between them feel meaningful. The soccer scenes are engaging, adding an authentic touch to the story.

The pacing is a bit slow in places, and I wished for more intense emotional payoffs at certain points, but overall, it’s a heartfelt and satisfying read. If you enjoy sports romances with a mix of royalty, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Nora Phoenix's The Prince and the Player serves up a royal-sized helping of favorite tropes—royal romance, opposites attract, bi-awakening, sports romance, and grumpy/sunshine dynamics—all wrapped in a fun, fast-paced read.

The premise? A 'Royal Gap Year,' where four royal friends ditch the palace life for a year abroad incognito. First up, Prince Tore of Norway heads to an Ohio college, eager to live his best normal-student life—playing soccer, making friends, and soaking in the American experience. With his golden-retriever energy and natural charm, he wins over just about everyone... except for soccer captain Farron, who takes one look at him and decides he’s the worst. Cue the brooding stares and snarky tension.

The enemies-to-lovers setup delivers, but Farron’s hostility sometimes goes from grumpy to downright exhausting. His grudge against Tore for being rich and privileged feels a bit flimsy, making it harder to fully root for their romance. While Tore has a great support system, Farron—despite being team captain—feels oddly isolated, which makes their dynamic a little unbalanced.

Their bi-awakening journey is refreshingly low-angst but lacks much introspection. The spice level hits just right, adding fun and steamy moments that keep the romance engaging.

The sports angle is a highlight, with actual on-page soccer action that grounds the story and helps track the passage of time.

The biggest drawback? The third-act breakup. While Tore’s hidden royal identity was always going to cause drama, the conflict felt a bit forced.

Overall, The Prince and the Player is a light, entertaining read with a fun premise, solid sports action, and a bi-awaking romance—flaws and all. I’ll definitely be checking out the sequels and hoping for even more character depth and emotional punch. I do think the series has potential.

A big thank you to Nora Phoenix, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the ARC—I can’t wait to read more!