This book was hands down adorable.

Orson and Floris couldn't be more different. Floris a Prince from the Netherlands and Orson a quiet achiever just trying to make his late father proud. So when they become roommates at college they soon realise their personalities somehow balance each other out.

I adored the way Floris was able to pull Orson out of his shell. He made him realise it was ok to look after himself as well as the ones he loves, that he indeed deserved happiness as well.

The spark between the two was instant and their romance simmered beautifully. This was such a cute MM romance that I really enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC

I don't know if it was because this was the second in a series or because it was quite a shorter book at under 300 pages, but this book felt like I was reading about two people with no real world around them. We barely met any of the other friends Floris made at the university and we didn't see Orson around anyone else around his age. While both characters were easy to like and root for their romance, the world building was quite lackluster.

Book 2 in the Prince Pact series but I read as a stand alone and was able to follow with no issues. This was a cute and charming quick read! It was heartfelt with lots of witty banter and royal drama! Floris & Orson form such a sweet friendship and the spice was good and plentiful! It was a bit of a slow burn and o wish there had been more character/relationship development but overall, I enjoyed the story!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I rate this book 4.5 stars and 4 chili peppers for spice. I loved this book! The emotional trauma from losing a parent and the responsibility of being a prince were hard for these two characters to work through but it was beautiful written. I loved their chemistry and slow burn. It was the perfect cozy fall read.

La trama
La historia sigue al príncipe Floris, quien es considerado el primer príncipe abiertamente homosexual de europa. Después de un escándalo, termina trasladándose a la universidad en EUA, donde la realeza no es tan conocida y puede pasar por una persona normal.
Por otro lado, Orson es un estudiante que tiene muy en claro que no puede distraerse de sus estudios bajo ningún pretexto, incluso si eso significa resistirse a el príncipe que tiene como compañero de cuarto.
Los personajes
Floris es divertido, me gusta su personalidad diplomática, alegre, se sale del cliché de príncipe arrogante e insoportable. A pesar de el trauma que le dejó su escándalo pasado, no deja que eso lo detenga de coquetear con su compañero de cuarto y abrirse sentimentalmente hacia él.
Orson es metódico, serio, está atrapado entre lo que le gusta y sus remordimientos. Su pasado relacionado con el huracán Katrina fue muy interesante de leer, sobre todo porque acababa de escuchar el podcast de “Leyendas legendarias” sobre el tema y eso me ayudó a tener un poquito más de contexto.
La narración
La escritura me gustó porque se entiende muy bien. Aunque el inglés no es mi primer idioma fue fácil captar el tono de la historia. Las explicaciones sobre arquitectura y diferencias culturales eran muy amenas y las pláticas de ambos personajes me gustaron mucho.
Conclusiones
Esta es una rom com bastante bonita, con personajes entrañables, que mantienen una relación sana a pesar de sus diferencias. Tiene mucho spicy y en general es un libro con el que puedes pasar un buen rato de relajación.



The Plot
The story follows Prince Floris, who is considered Europe's first openly gay prince. After a scandal, he ends up transferring to college in the US, where royalty isn't as well-known and he can be a normal person.
On the other hand, Orson is very clear that he can't be distracted from his studies under any pretext, even if it means resisting the attraction he feels for the prince he has as a roommate.
The Characters
Floris is funny; I like his diplomatic, cheerful personality; he breaks away from the cliché of the arrogant and insufferable prince. Despite the trauma his past scandal left him, he doesn't let it stop him from flirting with his roommate and opening up to him emotionally.
Orson is methodical and serious, caught between what he likes and his regrets. Her past, related to Hurricane Katrina, was very interesting to read, especially since I just finished listening to the episode of "Legendary Legends" about it, and that helped me gain a little more context.
The writing
I liked the writing because it's very understandable. Although English isn't my first language, it was easy to grasp the tone of the story. The explanations about architecture and cultural differences were very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed the conversations between the two characters.
Conclusions
This is a very nice rom-com, with endearing characters who maintain a healthy relationship despite their differences. It's very spicy, and overall, it's a book you can enjoy a good, relaxing time with.

Floris and Orson’s story was a fun and heartwarming story!

This is my first book by this author and now I want to read all the things. Floris from the start was a blast. He was an instant favorite of mine with his witty charm and honesty! Him and Orson just felt right! Their friendship was so beautiful and fun. The way they supported each other and helped the other become more than what they could imagine (swoon)!

I loved that neither rushed the other and how natural their relationship came. I also love though that Floris did let Orson doubt and made sure he always knew what he felt. Just such a fun read and I loved how everything turned out.

A sweet love story with the perfect ammount of angst. I liked Floris and Orson, though the side characters were interesting too. Fully recommend it to all MM romance fans!

4 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

cute, hilarious romcom about two guys, a prince and a studious, focused student, both of whom become less stressed throughout as they get to know each other and themselves. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I've read a lot of hidden prince romance books, and Prince Material was near the bottom of the pile.

I think that I have to accept that Nora Phoenix doesn't work for me. This is the third book in a row from this author that has been under 3-stars, and I think that's a sign that we just don't mesh well together.

I love the set-up for this story, but that was about the only thing about it that I really enjoyed. It was all showing and not nearly enough telling. The character development felt absent, and I didn't get a sense of chemistry at all between the two MCs. Also, the side characters felt like afterthoughts, which was a shame because they were sorely needed for a personality infusion into this book. I just feel like something was missing from the story.

Sadly, other authors have written the secret prince trope better. Sorry, Nora Phoenix.

*copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Such a fun, sweet read! I loved the chemistry between the characters and the mix of humor, romance, and royal drama. It’s lighthearted but still has some heartfelt moments. A little predictable at times, but overall really enjoyable—I flew through it. I cannot wait for the next one!

Massive thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my review!

Prince Material is a fluffy and sweet dual POV m/m queer romcom with a royal twist and the second in the Prince Pact series, though it works perfectly well as a standalone, which is how I read it.

Meet Floris: tall, blonde, handsome, charming and oh yeah, the nephew of the King of the Netherlands. While that all sounds dreamy, he's desperate for a bit of normalcy after getting caught up in a tabloid scandal not of his own fault. So the obvious solution is to ship off to the States for an "average American" college experience at a technical school in Massachusetts to work on his engineering degree and relax a bit. Enter Orson, Floris' foil - a nerdy and hardworking grad student with some trauma he channels into his school assignments.

Things I enjoyed about this book:
⭐️ Perfect for fall reading as it takes place during back to school season! A great book to cozy up with on the couch and a steaming beverage on the weekend.
⭐️ The spice is spicing and the banter is on target! If you like a lot of snark and sass in your main characters, Florin and Orson deliver on that front in spades. It's sometimes used to cover secrets and vulnerability, which is a downside, but it's cute.
⭐️ The friends/roommates to lovers trope works here and is believable.
⭐️ Queer love is celebrated and accepted - there's a delightful lack of homophobia from our main characters' friends and family. While homophobia is a fact of the world we live in, sometimes it's nice to live in a world where our main characters don't have to struggle for acceptance with people closest to them so they can focus on other character development. We see both of our main characters' friends and families be accepting of their sexuality and love off the bat.
⭐️ Some fun references and education on Dutch culture.

Elements that didn't quite work for me/places for improvement:
⭐️ While described for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue, this book didn't quite have the depth of Casey McQuiston's work, but it does certainly scratch that same itch!
⭐️ The conversations are a bit too familiar and intense off the bat - Floris talks to Orson like friends would speak to each other after a few years, not a few weeks.
⭐️ The book reads a bit insta-love and both of the characters have an instant comfort and attraction that I think isn't quite realistic. There was likely a development of friendship/relationship off page, but I think the book could have benefited from exploring more of that and giving both main characters time to build the tension.
⭐️ I liked the glimpses we got of New Orleans, but there were real opportunities to dive into some more of the culture and history, especially given the plethora of references to Hurricane Katrina. I would have liked if the author would have spent at least a little bit more time educating the reader about what happened with Katrina - it reads very "skimmed over" and it shouldn't be!
⭐️ There are some inconsistencies that need to be worked out, especially in the spicy scenes - I hope this was hammered out in editing! It was distracting to have to make some logical jumps about positioning or logistics.

I had fun with this lighthearted little romp but I prefer a bit more depth and sophistication in my romcoms. Ultimately I would recommend this to folks who are looking for a fluffy queer book with a royal element, especially if you're looking to escape and turn off your brain for a while!

TW: death of parent, grief, natural disaster/hurricane, a bit of homophobia (from outside sources), mentions of sexual harassment/assault (happens off page).

Opposites attack in this sweet cutesy read. It was a fun, quick and charming read which I got through at a lightning pace.

Orson and Floris have great chemistry right from the start. The friendship group of princes are a supportive network which it’s great to have in the book to bolster Floris in his desire to try to live a normal life and in his attempts to survive the press and the pressures of being royal. It was interesting reading about how Dutch water management works and it was clear the author must have done quite a lot of research to write about that so expertly, which was good as it gave Floris believability as a Dutch Civil Engineering Student. I particularly liked the injections of humour into the plot and often found myself chuckling at something Orson, Floris or one of the other princes had said. I loved how Floris and Orson communicated about their varying levels of experience and what they were comfortable doing together sexually for their first sexual experience together and that they had open honest communication about this from the start. Also more m/m romances nowadays seem to be mentioning PrEP and it’s good to see the publicity for PrEP in the fiction landscape. Overall this was an enjoyable, light read that reminded me of Casey McQuiston‘s Red, White and Royal Blue which is one of my favourite books or the movie the Prince and Me so it was a great choice of book for me and I was delighted to read this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley.

I’m really liking the Prince Pact series by Nora Phoenix! Prince Material is book 2 in the interconnected series and follows Floris, the Prince of the Netherlands as he ventures to the United States to get away from the press. He ends up roommates with Orson, who’s extremely dedicated to his studies and making his father’s sacrifice worth it. Together they build each other up as they slowly get to know each other. This is a sweet slowburn romance and I loved every minute of it!

This book was like catnip for me! I couldn’t put it down. Floris and Orson are just so fun and so sweet! You are rooting for them from page 1!

Nora Phoenix is a great storyteller. I’ve read several of her books, and will continue to read more.

They’re a slow burn, friends to lovers, story. It’s fun to watch Floris breakdown Orson’s rigidity and walls.

This is a fun series and I look forward to continuing it.

Well, aren't these Princes just wonderful.

This one gave me a bit of a The Prince And Me vibe (with a little bit of "Mork calling Orson, come in Orson call to my soul)

It took a bit for me to warm up to both our lovelies, but in the end, that was how our guys were.

I also learned a lot more about water management than I expected hahaha

Their friendship is a slow burn, as everything really is with them. But again it is perfect for them. I loved how their families became entwined through their friendship. And Floris' family was not what I was expecting of a royal family, which was lovely.

It was cute and adorable. Now I need to see who we get next.

I was so happy when book 2 in this series was announced I was lucky to arc read prince and the player and absolutely fell in love, so happy I got the privilege to read book 2 it was amazing loved everything about it, orsons story was just so heartbreaking but still continuing to push through it all and try and make a future out of helping make things better was great, Tia was one of my favorite characters she was just so precious her and Orson and Diana’s relationship was so beautiful to see a glimpse in it, meeting Floris again was so amazing it never felt like it was randomly thrown together timeline wise book 1 and 2 felt very fleshed out and together the relationship and connection between floris and orson was just so cute, floris taking the time with orson while letting him breathe and get used to the attraction of something he was not used to was so great to see it was such a pleasure to read this and see the continuing development of the series can’t wait for book 3🥰

*Prince Material* is a cozy, charming MM romance about a prince seeking a fresh start in college and the roommate he never expected to fall for. The story balances humor, heart, and gentle spice, with Floris and Orson’s slow-burn friendship evolving naturally into romance, making it a sweet, feel-good read perfect for fans of lighthearted, contemporary queer rom-coms.

3.5/5

Personally loved the first book in this series more because I am an absolute sucker to the rivals to lovers/grumpy x sunshine tropes, and not into insta-love. However, this was still very cute. The main characters got on so great together, flowing chemistry. Always love Nora's writing, descriptive yet easy to follow and great dialogue. A nice, sweet, enjoyable romance. I look forward to book three!

Floris and Orson are such a beautifully sweet pair. The first book in the prince series was fun this one was cute and very romantic.

The way they handle the differences and similarities of these characters was great. Showing how people can have very different life experiences but connect in the shared experience of struggles and restrictions.

I really enjoyed how important both of the characters studies were described and how the passion they both had for their personal interests wasn't shoved aside.

They slow build of feelings and emotions was sweet, they just felt into a relationship and I enjoyed it all. Looking forward to the next installment.