Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a really good, fun read. It was cute, it was simple and easy to read which was must more enjoyable after some really heavy hitters! The pacing was the only thing that felt off to me - it was really fast at times, and then at other times it just felt really slow and drawn out. I also don't see the "player" part of the story - he was overly smitten from the getgo and personally, I loved that!

I really love these stories with the love/hate relationships - it's not real "enemies" to lovers as the hate is very fleeting, and is really more of a cover for true feelings in my opinion! I loved all of the cute and silly moments full of love and excitement - the beginnings of a new relationship. I loved the yearning and the exploration and acceptance of their sexuality - those were some big feelings and big situations and I felt that they were handled so well and with so much grace.

I really loved this M/M romance overall and will be recommending it to everyone - I'm eager to see this story series and how it continues!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

First, I want to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this novel ahead of its release.

I don‘t really know how to explain it, but there is a very fine line to walk when writing books where the couple starts out as „casual“ or friends with benefits. You have to find that perfect way of combining the intimacy of sex with building an actual emotional relationship, which I sadly think this book failed to do. I feel like the main characters didn‘t actually connect on an emotional level, which is really sad because the book started out great! I guess I just expected there to be more time for the characters to fall in love with each other.

I would still recommend this book if you’re looking for a sweet, easy to read and lighthearted romance.

Tore wants to spend one year as if he isn’t royal. That’s how he ends up in Ohio at Hawley College on the soccer team. He is fairly confident he will never ascend to the throne so he wants to begin developing outside of his royal duties. But he wants to keep his identity a secret. Farron is a senior at Hawley College. He hopes to make it into professional soccer after graduation because he needs the money. Soccer brings them together but secrets might pull them apart.
Tore starts out as a hapless royal wanting to get away from the pressures of royal life. I am glad the author made him a serious student and soccer player. The fact he is studying political science makes a lot of sense. I felt like he didn’t have a huge growth curve as much as he had to realize that he is royal and that fact changes the world around him ( I won’t say how the author shows that because it’s a huge spoiler). Right from the beginning the characters talk about privilege which I found nerve wracking after a while. I feel like the author established that well and the repetition added nothing. Farron has a chip on his shoulder. He is a senior and captain of the soccer team. He is focused on getting on a professional soccer team. I like that the author placed Tore in his way to help him see his future more clearly. His family is struggling financially so he works at Walmart to make a little money. He is complicated and is forced to confront his biases and grow as a person.
This story takes place primarily at Hawley College in Ohio. This is a gay for you, first time gay romance. I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about this story. In the end, I like how Tore and Farron grew together. I will definitely read the next book in the series to find out what happens to the rest of Tore’s friends.

The idea behind the book was interesting, a prince goes undercover to attend a US school, the idea being that if nobody knows that he is a prince then they won’t give him special treatment. The prince happens to be really good at football so quickly finds himself on the school team, much to the disgust of the team captain, who has taken an instant dislike to the prince, and when I say instant he decided he didn’t like him as soon as he walked into the locker room.
This wanted to be Red, White and Royal Blue, and I really wanted the author to pull it off but the relationship between the two main characters doesn’t work.

ARC Review
The Prince & The Player by Nora Phoenix
The Prince Pact Book One

This book follows two opposites that happen to be teammates. We have a sunshiney royal in hiding and a jaded soccer captain who have explosive chemistry. It was a relatively predictable read but enjoyable. It was nice and spicy.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* MM Romance
* Grumpy/sunshine
* Bi-awakening
* College soccer
* Mistaken identity

MORE BISEXUAL LOVE STORIES PLS AND THANK YOU.

The Prince and the Player is exactly what you'd get if you threw a sunshiney himbo prince, a grumpy soccer captain, and a whole lot of unresolved tension into a blender—and hit purée.

This book is hilarious, sweet, and just the right amount of chaotic. Our undercover Norwegian prince is all charm, wide-eyed wonder, and "Wait, it's *called* soccer?" energy. He’s determined to win over his perpetually annoyed teammate Farron, who has the emotional availability of a brick wall and the patience of a cat stuck in traffic.

Their chemistry? Off the charts. What starts as aggressive banter and cold shoulders quickly turns into surprise kisses and mutual "Wait... am I into this?" panic. Cue the awkward glances, flustered locker room encounters, and late-night soul-searching. And somehow, it’s all both heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny.

The prince’s identity secret adds a fun layer of tension that had me yelling “TELL HIM!” at my Kindle like I was watching an F1 race. And Farron’s slow defrosting into a soft, swoon-worthy love interest? Chef’s kiss.

If you love opposites attract, hate-to-love, bi-awakenings, or just enjoy watching emotionally constipated athletes fall for royalty, this book delivers. It’s charming, ridiculous, and unexpectedly tender. 10/10 would fake date a prince again.

This ARC was the perfect beach weekend read! A slow-burn rivals to lovers (a favorite trope of mine!) college sports romance, The Prince and The Player was a lot of fun from start to finish. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a grumpy/sunshine dynamic and swoon-worthy romance.

Really enjoyed this one! It was lighthearted and fun just the way I like my romcoms. For fans of Red, White & Royal Blue (which I am) this was a perfect read! It looks like it's the first in a new series 'Prince Pact' and I can say I'll happily read more when they come out!

The premise had me hooked right from the start—four royal friends (who are also princes of different regions) making a pact to live abroad for a year, completely incognito, stripped of their titles, and just... be normal. That setup? 🫶🫶 Chef’s kiss. And this particular line? “I’m determined to win over the one guy who hates me…but I never expected to fall for him.” SOLD 🙌✨.
The Prince And The Player follows Tore, the Prince of Norway, as he settles into an American college campus in Ohio. He dives headfirst into the normal student life: partying (little bit), playing soccer, making friends—and unexpectedly falling for Farron, the grumpy guy with a secretly soft heart. Cue the swoons MUAH 😍🥰.
UGH, this book was so cute, so sweet, and so full of heart. The chemistry between Tore and Farron was delicious—hate to love, grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, bi-awakening and fiery sparks all rolled into one. I loved watching their story unfold through soccer games, meeting each other’s families, and yes... some very spicy scenes and secret hook ups🔥🥵. It had such a comforting, feel-good vibe that I genuinely devoured every bit of it 💏💫. Also that Epilogue I LOVEDDDDDD IT 🤩.
3.5 stars 🌟
That said, it wasn’t perfect :
The writing didn’t quite sit well with me—maybe because it was my first time reading this author—but at times it felt a bit cringy.
The characters had so much potential, but I found myself wishing they were developed just a little bit more.
And while the story was fun, it was very predictable. Nothing too complex or messy, which can be a good thing, but it made the whole journey feel a bit too easy.
Still, I had a great time reading it, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking up the other books in this series 📚 and what other guys are up to during there normalcy period. There’s just something about royalty trying to be normal that makes my heart happy 😌💙.
💏👑⚽💖
thanks to BOLDWOOD BOOKS and NETGALLEY for the ARC!
💏👑⚽💖
"𝙸'𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖," 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚎. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚃𝚘𝚛𝚎."
💏👑⚽💖
𝙰𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝙵𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎, 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛.

This was super cute!! I liked that both Farron and Tore had some good personal growth during the book and that their reactions/growth felt authentic. I look forward to reading the other princes' stories!

4.5 Stars
I loved the book soo much! I loved it soo much that I finished it in 2 days!
From me a big recommendation!

This was a fun read and I enjoyed it even if it had some questionable aspects!

Farron is somehow a fun character. I say that because he is quite prejudiced and rude to Prince Tore from their first interaction. Farron’s behavior is unjustified against Tore who is nothing but nice and patient. But that’s not why Farron is a fun character. He’s fun because he knows what he’s doing is wrong; he’s able to self-reflect on his actions and admit he’s wrong enough to regret it. But that doesn’t stop him from expressing his emotions and staying true to himself. And I personally liked that because he didn’t change immediately. He grew into a better person slowly after realizing the broader world.

The romance in this story is heavily influenced by the sexual tension between Farron and Tore. At first I was surprised but upon thinking, I realized it’s realistic. Not every love story starts with gradual interactions. Attraction and feeling satisfied are a common pull and it’s not wrong to get closer to someone because of it.

The drive of this story is soccer focused. And yet, I felt it wasn’t enough. I loved how soccer training, games and team building were interwoven into the story to help progress the plot. Though I felt I needed more of Farron and Tore playing together. There were a few great moments and I enjoyed reading them bond over what they both loved but it wasn’t enough. The growth in those moments was limited and I wish there was more. Yes, I’m greedy.

The overall plot is very simple and a common trope. I liked how this story didn’t paint either Farron or Tore as perfect. They had their flaws, insecurities and strong points. However the other characters didn’t stand out in this story. They were kind and accepting but I couldn’t tell them apart . Though I must say, I didn’t like the forceful coming out to the team.

The writing is fluid making this a quick read. However the prologue was confusing for me because I felt like it was an onslaught of too many characters and circumstances. I found the dual viewpoints were well done and captivating because it was evident how different Farron and Tore’s thoughts and personalities were.

This book has quite a bit of sexual scenes. Besides the abrupt kissing, I actually quite enjoyed reading the sexual scenes. They were surprisingly not awkward or embarrassing because both Farron and Tore communicated during these moments. That said, I would have loved more sweet moments between them, which we did get but I wanted a teeny bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It’s a happy ending but also kind of bittersweet. I’m looking forward to continuing this series and seeing where our remaining Princes end up!

The Prince & The Player was such a sexy and sweet story full of tension, longing, and untapped emotions. When the MMC’s emotions boil over and explode it’s absolutely delicious!

I am so stunned by how amazing this book is. I quite literally couldn’t put it down! I ate it up within a few hours and wish I’d read a little slower so I could’ve had a little more time with Tore & Farron. Their tension is electric and radiates right off the pages (or screen in my case) and it’s absolutely addicting. I wanted more more MORE!

The only reason I’m giving The Prince & the Player 4-stars is because of Faron’s prejudice toward wealthy individuals. Although we are presented with an in-depth reason as to why he has his opinions regarding wealth and “rich people”, it made him seem quite shallow and extremely closed-minded. He was quick to judge and unwilling to see that having money doesn’t mean someone is free from struggles. Even as his relationship with Tore grew he still perceived him [Tore] as a spoiled rich kid and never got out of that mindset. It made him very insufferable at times. Although there is character development and a change of heart by the end, I wish that “change” had been more thoroughly explored.

All-in-all I loved this book! I can’t stop talking about it and I fear I’ll never get over Faron & Tore. These two are just *chefs kiss! A million thanks to Nora Phoenix, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for letting me read The Prince & the Player before it hit shelves!

I found the tension between Farron and Tore to be a bit over the top at times. Their chemistry was good, but Farron's fixation on Tore's wealth and privilege got on my nerves.

I know the whole royalty trope and sports trope is so over done, BUT this book was amazing and was able to combine both in such an attention keeping way. I loved how effortless Nora was able to switch between the two MMCs POVs. It’s definitely spicy in some parts but in a way that adds a lot to the story. It was also such a refreshing read to see so much acceptance in on LGBT story!

This book was okay. I found it a bit predictable and I felt like I always knew what was going to happen. Nothing major stood out to me to make it like a wow read personally.

Can a Norwegian prince and a dude from rural Ohio find lasting happiness together? I don't think it's a spoiler to say YES, they absolutely can. Tore and Farron are my new favorite couple. I had things to do, places to go, people to see, but I put everything on hold until I finished The Prince and the Player. Nora Phoenix puts us right inside the characters' minds as Farron and Tore go through a season as players with their college's soccer team, learning, growing, fighting, connecting - first physically and then emotionally. It's hard work for them, figuring out who they are as individuals and who they might be together, and I was happy to go along for the ride. If you're a fan of soccer, or a fan of enemies-to-lovers tropes, please look no further - you'll find everything you need in The Prince and the Player. Thank you so much, Boldwood Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Now I'm off to read MORE of Nora Phoenix's books.

This book was full of tropes but is such a fun read!

It had a lot of similarities with Red, White and Royal Blue so if you are a fan of that then this is the book for you. It’s a cross of royal and sport romance with a solid romantic arc which evolved throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast-paced sexual awakening read with an enemies/rivals to lovers trope and secret identity trope.

A group of princes/heirs make a pact to convince their families to let them live in USA for a year to experience life. This first book in the series follows the Swedish 4th in line to the crown - Tore - in his freshman year of college in Ohio. Tore has amazing soccer/football skills and ends up on the college team -- with grumpy captain, Farron, who grew up financial struggling. Farron and Tore are rivals from the beginning - but is it something more?

This is a cute read - lighthearted but emotional as Farron and Tore struggle through their emotions and attraction.

Tore is a prince of Norway, though he is several steps removed from the throne. That doesn’t stop his life from being all about obligation and responsibility to his family and his people. Tore is close friends with a few other young European royals who all long for some adventure and new experiences. So the group makes a pact that each will try to go to America to get a chance at life outside of the royal world. For his part, Tore heads to a small college in Ohio where he hopes to blend in as an average student, rather than a royal. He is excited to play on the soccer team, as it’s a sport in which he excels, but he had to give up his potential future as a pro player for his family responsibilities.

Farron is a senior and the soccer team captain. Farron comes from a humble background where his mother has struggled to make ends meet and Farron has always had to work hard to help support his family. So when he sees Tore, with his fancy clothes and his posh demeanor, Farron immediately feels resentful. He is sure that Tore has had a pampered and easy life and he wants nothing to do with him. While Tore would be happy to develop a friendship with Farron, it is clear the man hates him and Tore just does his best to stay out of the path of Farron’s anger.

As teammates, the men must work together, and Farron can grudgingly admit that Tore is an excellent player and an asset to the team. Farron also can’t deny something about him is drawn to Tore, even as he can’t stand the man, and Tore finds himself seeking out Farron all the time as well. The pair realize that despite the fact that both have always identified as straight, they are quite attracted to one another. They decide to explore the physical connection, even as Farron still isn’t ready to be friends with Tore outside of the bedroom. As the guys spend more time together, they begin to realize there may just be something more between them than either expected. But with Tore still keeping a big secret, it could destroy things between them just as they are getting their relationship started.

The Prince and the Player is the first in Nora Phoenix’s Prince Pact series, which follows Tore and his friends as they explore a little freedom from their royal lives. I really love the set up for the series and the camaraderie among the men. The story starts off with the group of them as they discuss their lives and make a plan. We then jump ahead to the start of the school year as Tore joins the soccer team and meets Farron and the rest of the guys. One thing I really liked here is how well Phoenix incorporates soccer and the demands of being on the team into the book. I don’t think things are overly intense and technical, so if sports aren’t your thing, I don’t think you will find this too much. But I liked the little details of the games and the practices, and the way the story follows along with the team’s season.

Where I struggled here was warming up to Farron. He hates Tore on sight based exclusively on the fact that Tore appears to be wealthy. Farron is rude to Tore, both in word and action, over and over. Tore, for his part, is the sweetest thing ever and just tries his best to be kind and friendly to Farron, only to be shot down again and again. So this is a totally one-sided enemies-to-lovers situation, where Farron hates Tore because he is wealthy. Farron is just unpleasant and unkind over and over, no matter how hard Tore tries, and no matter what Tore does, it isn’t good enough. Here is just an example, when Tore accidentally drops and breaks a bottle of Farron’s cologne:

“I’m dreadfully sorry,” Tore stammered. “I was reaching for a towel and accidentally knocked over your cologne. I’ll replace it, of course–”

“Replace it?” I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more: the fact that he knew I wouldn’t be able to afford simply buying a new one… or the fact that he could.

“Obviously. I broke it, so I should buy you a new one.”

I let out a harsh laugh. “Just like that, huh? Must be nice to throw money around without a second thought.”

Tore’s brow furrowed. “That’s not… I simple want to make amends. It’s the right thing to do.”

His earnestness was infuriating. I wanted to stay angry, to keep hating him and everything he represented.

But isn’t that what anyone would do if they broke someone else’s belongings? Offer to pay for a replacement? What else would Farron expect him to do in this case? Farron’s anger is so often like this, just irrational and unfair.

As the story continues, Phoenix does do a nice job letting us in to learn more about Farron, his family, and his background that helps to develop his character and explain his reactions to Tore better. But it takes a while to get there. And honestly, there may be a reason you hate someone who has done nothing to deserve it, but that still doesn’t make it right to treat them badly.

Unfortunately, this behavior just made it really hard for me to settle into things with Farron and Tore as a couple. Tore is so sweet and earnest and kind and Farron just dumps on him over and over. I just couldn’t figure out what beyond physical attraction even drew Tore to Farron, given how he was treated for so much of the story. I think if we had seen Farron come to realize his attitude earlier in the book, or if we had seen more time with the guys developing their romantic relationship on page it could have softened things. But after Farron has this sort of epiphany that Tore is not a bad guy after all, they are almost immediately a couple romantically and we don’t really see a lot of the bonding and getting to know each other as partners on page that we are told is happening.

The story comes together in the way you are probably going to expect from the blurb and the set up, but I do think it ties up well and we get a sweet epilogue that lets us see how the guys make things work together in the future. I really am a fan of Phoenix’s writing and this book showcases her style nicely. As I said, I really enjoyed the set up to the series, and while the relationship didn’t totally come together for me, I liked the book overall and I am looking forward to seeing the adventures for the rest of the princes.