The Prince and the Player

Prince Pact, Book 1

By: Nora Phoenix

Narrated by: Charlie Klæboe Svensson, Barclay Craig

The royally romantic, enemies-to-lovers college romance for fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall and Jax Calder.

Tropes & Themes: MM Romance / All the spice / Grumpy/Sunshine / Opposites Attract / Bi Awakening / College Soccer

I’m determined to win over the one guy who hates me…but I never expected to fall for him

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…

The Prince and the Player is the first book in the Prince Pact series and features an undercover, sunshiney prince and a grumpy, handsome soccer captain, two guys who mistake hate for attraction, a double bi-awakening, and two opposites who attract each other like magnets.

Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall and Jax Calder

©2025 Nora Phoenix (P)2025 Boldwood Books

Good Story. Narration, Not so much.

The narrator who read for Farren read as if he were yelling. It was hard to get into. But eventually I let was able to work past it.

Everything

10’s across the board such a feel good book with amazing narration but #noshade Ferran’s VA was hard to get into but - okay at best and cringey at worst. however, puts a great performance to his words def takes time to get into.

Sweet

Super fast and sweet read! I like a lot of Nora Phoenix so I was surprised that it was low spice. But still great! I was hesitant from the other reviews but now I’m super glad that I took the chance !

Charlie Klaeboe Svensson is an ABSOLUTE WONDER!!!!!

The story itself was a quick, yet meaningful, and surprisingly grounded tale. Both MC’s were archetypes of the grumpy/sunshine trope, but they did not come across contrived and their arcs were handled with care. Predictable? Yes, but that’s what you sign up for in a romcom!

But, the true element that elevated this piece was the masterful performance of Mr Svensson—an absolute powerhouse!! I’m not sure if the accent for our prince is Svensson’s native one, but his honeyed baritone and melodic, sing-song lilt was beyond enthralling!! His skill with accents overall, differentiating each character by tone and delivery alone, was a true master class. And his acting—the emotional beats really landed, and felt introspective and surprisingly intimate—as if you were truly privy to someone’s inner monologue.

However, Svensson’s utter talent and achievement in this realm unfortunately highlights the significant lack of the co-narrator. I’d typically try not to speak ill of narrators, as their effort in general is appreciated, but the drastic shift in quality between alternating POV’s is jarring to say the least , and affects the listening experience too significantly not mention. After being lulled and drawn in by Svensson’s sultry timbre, the almost aggressive, nasally delivery of the co narrator can completely take you out of the story. And those emotional beats that Svensson handles with reverence, are completely lost and mangled by the co narrator’s clumsy delivery. In truth, had I been aware of the disparate quality of the narrators, I may very well have possibly skipped this piece. Publishing companies really should be more discerning when pairing narrators, and ensure tonal compatibility for a more evened experience for the reader.

Great Story and Audio

I loved everything about this story and the new to me narrators did an awesome job!!