The Prince's Playbook: Prince Pact, Book 3

Prince Pact #3

by Nora Phoenix

The BRAND NEW spicy, royally romantic MM college romance for fans of Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry , Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall!

The rules are protect my secret and never—ever—fall for a player.

Coaching college hockey was supposed to be a fresh start for the next year anyway. A chance to leave behind the royal spotlight and just be Nils, the guy who loves the game. No one knows I'm a Swedish prince, and I plan to keep it that way.

Then I meet Adan. Talented. Fiercely competitive. And somehow, despite every rule and reason not to, I can't stop wanting him.

He's not much younger than me, but I'm assigned to work one-on-one with him. I'm technically his coach, and I'm supposed to be the line he doesn't cross. But then we kiss and everything blurs. For Adan, it's a first. His first time with a man. His first time questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. For me, it's a risk I shouldn't take—because if anyone finds out, I could lose more than just my job. Adan thinks I'm afraid of getting caught. But he doesn't know what's really at stake.

There's no chapter in my playbook for this. And no easy way out—except risking it all.

Genres: Romance, Sports, M M Romance, Royalty, Hockey, LGBT, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published March 20, 2026

About the author

Would you like the long or the short version of my bio?

The short? You got it.

I write steamy gay romance books and I love it. I also love reading books. Books are everything.

How was that?

A little more detail? Gotcha.

I started writing my first stories when I was a teen…on a freaking typewriter. I still have these, and they’re adorably romantic. And bad, haha. Fear of failing kept me from following my dream to become a romance author, so you can imagine how proud and ecstatic I am that I finally overcame my fears and self doubt and did it. I adore my genre because I love writing and reading about flawed, strong men who are just a tad broken..but find their happy ever after anyway.

My favorite books to read are pretty much all MM/gay romances as long as it has a happy end. Kink is a plus… Aside from that, I also read a lot of nonfiction and not just books on writing. Popular psychology is a favorite topic of mine and so are self help and sociology.

Hobbies? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Just kidding. I love traveling, spending time near the ocean, and hiking. But I love books more.

Come hang out with me in my Facebook Group Nora’s Nook where I share previews, sneak peeks, freebies, fun stuff, and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/noras...

Wanna get first dibs on freebies, updates, sales, and more? Sign up for my newsletter (no spamming your inbox full…promise!) here: http://www.noraphoenix.com/newsletter/

You can also stalk me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoraFromBHR
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On Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nora-...

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who wouldn't love it? With all the rave (and rage?) over Heated Rivalry, here's a book with a similar story but told in a very different manner. A prince. A star player. Coaching. Hidden romance. Slow burn with so many moments you just want them to cave. Really kept my interest, and as a larger collection (there are 3 out of 4 published), with a focus on 4 princes who are gay or bisexual, and each one's need/interest in moving somewhere else to discover themselves without the limelight of royalty following them, it's wonderful. Sure, there's no chance 4 friends would be gay and princes and everyone is supportive. But it's fiction. It's heartwarming. Steamy and hot in some instances. And focuses on the general aspects of life, not just getting lucky. Really makes for a wonderful afternoon read for the right audience!

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was being heavily promoted as Heated Rivalry x Red White and Royal Blue aka two of my favourite books of all time, so i jumped at the chance to read it.

unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype.

i don’t think i’ve ever read a romance book with less chemistry between the leads than Nils and Adan.

there is a 7 year age gap between them, which isn’t too crazy but also felt weird, especially when Nils would comment on how Adan can’t even legally drink. Nils acted like an almost 30 year old and Adan acted like the 20 year old he is, so their interactions felt very off balanced. i did not feel any sparks between them or even that they had anything in common beyond liking hockey.

furthermore, the coach/student relationship was very uncomfortable. yes, they’re technically both adults but the power dynamics made it feel really icky. every time Adan went over to Nils’ apartment it felt so wrong. and on top of that some of their interactions literally had me cringing. i couldn’t see them as two people on equal footing who liked each other, the student/teacher dynamic was too strong.

the romance was also super rushed. they kept talking about how much they loved the conversations they had between them, but we were there for all of them and every single one was such a nothing burger, i don’t see how they fell for each other.

for most of the book, Nils’ prince-ness is barely acknowledged. this was a problem because it was literally the only thing that made his character interesting. since it wasn’t talked about, he basically read like just an average, boring guy for most of the book (until it did become relevant which i also had problems with and will address later in this review).

Nils is the prince of Sweden but he could’ve been the prince of any random country real or fictional for the amount of detail put into talking about his home life. it felt like the author’s research on Sweden consisted of taking a walk around an Ikea and calling it a day.

Adan’s main personality trait was “woe is me, i’m poor” which, as a fellow broke college student, got very tiring very quickly. like we get it, you’re family doesn’t have money and hockey is an expensive sport. but he’s constantly telling us this and acting like he’s the only poor person ever to play hockey which cannot be true.

Nils hiding that he is a prince was obviously going to be a point of contention but it was so dragged out. it felt like Adan was way overreacting. like idk about y’all but if my boyfriend told me he was a prince, i really would not care that he hid that. to me, it makes complete sense why he wouldn’t want people to know. it’s also not like he only hid it from Adan, so i don’t see what the big deal was.

this book also lacked any nuance. i haven’t read the others in the series so maybe it does exist in a universe where princes are ‘allowed’ to be gay and there are openly queer NHL players, but i was kind of disappointed that this was never addressed. they kept talking about ‘just wait until i’m not your student anymore then we can be together publicly’ with no conversation about whether this in and of itself would be a big deal.

before you come at me about asking too much from a fluffy romance novel, let me remind you that it is comping HR and RWRB, two books that handled those exact topics extremely well. so forgive me for wanting more depth in the story.

similarly, there was some discussion about how the world might react about them being coach/student but not enough. they brushed it off too quickly. like i think that that would actually be a big scandal.

lastly, the writing just wasn’t great. there were so many sentences that were clunky and repetitive which made it hard to be immersed in the book.

maybe i will read the first two books in the series to see how they compare, but after reading this one, it’s not a priority.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the Prince Pact series and tells the story of Nils, a Swedish Prince undercover as a college hockey coach in Buffalo, NY, and Adan, a college student hockey player with his eyes on being drafted to the NHL.

It's clearly meant to be an easy romance without heavy angst but exploring a few tropes, and it succeeds for the most part. They meet, they feel attraction, then lust, then love, and all's well that ends well.

Unfortunately, and this is one reason why the book only receives 3 stars, I had a bit of an issue with the character portrayals. While the forbidden romance trope is usually okay for me, the portrayed maturity level of Adan didn't match his given age, and the fact that he didn't at all struggle or even really question his bisexuality also didn't make a whole lot of sense.

Characterizations were irritating occasionally, for example Adan's realization that he has feelings for his coach seemed easy and no big deal, but then we also see his reluctance to tell his best friend/teammate or his family about Nils, even after they had gotten together. Similarly, Nils has feelings for Adan, but feels that these might hinder Adan's future. Gee, where have I read that before?

On top of this, the characters just felt bland, with little personality, and we're only told of the attraction they feel toward each other, not shown. There just didn't seem sufficient time spent together to really develop a relationship, especially in light of their differences and the huge secret Nils keeps from Adan.

The second reason, and also the biggest issue for me, was the ick factor. The power dynamic between a coach and his student was just a little too much for me, especially considering the age gap with Adan's 20 to Nils' 27 - while that may only be 7 years, it's a huge age gap when one of the characters is only 20, still in college, and without a fully developed prefrontal cortex, even without considering Adan's desire and need to be drafted to the NHL and pay back his parents for all their sacrifices to get him where he is. It doesn't really matter how mature the author made the character sound - he's still only 20. Combine that with the massive difference in economic status, and Nils being a prince... bit much for me.

I did like that Nils struggled with the instructions for building the IKEA furniture he purchased (don't we all!!).

Overall, if you suspend disbelief and can deal with what were my specific hang-ups, this should work for you.



** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **

[sashenka 🖤 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

Let's start with the positive: it is a very easy and quick read. The writing is simple, so if you want something light and low-stress, you might it.

But I was disappointed. Are the praises in the blurb... bots? Because I don't think we read the same book. How is that perfect for fans of HR? The only thing they had in common was hockey and one of the MC being foreign. And that's all.

The tension? The chemistry? I couldn't understand why they were so attracted to each other. The development was told, not shown, it was so disappointing. The Prince had more chemistry with his IKEA furniture than with Adan. By the way, IKEA kept being mentioned, I almost forgot we had a prince in the room. But I couldn't understand how they feel for each other, it felt superficial, forced.

Also, the story is not realistic at all. The only "problem" they have is waiting a few months to be together? Not being a Prince of Sweden being in a relationship with a bi NHL player? The book ignores how hard it is to be a bi man in a homophobic environment like the NHL and I found that unfortunate.


Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Nora Phoenix for the free copy.

[Kat]

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 22% - I really truly did try

Basically, the premise is a Swedish Prince goes undercover as a hockey coach at a college in buffalo, so there’s that. And okay, so going into this book blind is 100% on me,and though I supposedly am the target audience, this was simply just NOT for me (despite being in a never ending gay hockey phase).

I just can’t seem to suspend my disbelief when it comes to non-natives writing Scandinavian characters, as I find the inaccuracies (even in a made up monarchy) too glaringly obvious and too annoying for me to get fully invested in the storyline.

Despite this, I really did try to give this a chance as it was pitched for fans of Rachel Reid and Casey mcquiston (aka, in theory, me). But I just couldn’t, the pacing of this seemed off, the characters were kind of cardboard cutouts with no real substance to them other than being a prince and the other being poor. Furthermore, I was constantly uncomfortable, not with an age gap specifically, but with the fact one of them is 20 (mentally, still a child) and the other one is in a position of authority and 27. It felt a bit gross and exploitative somehow, and i felt slightly ill being in Nils’ head when he thinks about Adan.

That said, I felt no chemistry between them whatsoever, other than I was told they had it (by being in their head and knowing what they explicitly think about the other), and the actions they take that is supposed to make them “closer” and further their relation just seemed so out of pocket compared to their (lack of) personalities.

Overall, the pitch truly is the downfall of this book and I truly could not make it past the 22% even though I tried.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three in The Prince Pact series; The Prince’s Playbook takes us to the hockey rink and Swedish Prince, Nils who’s come to coach a hockey protegee, Adan in a bid to get him into the NHL.

There’s animosity at first, because Adan has been at the top of his game since childhood and doesn’t think he needs help to get where he wants to be - and to be fair; it’s understandable because he hasn’t had coaches try to refine his skills until now. He sees Nils as unnecessary, right until some simple moves show the arrogant player how different the big leagues are. I loved seeing the calm side of Nils clash with the fire of Adan in those first moments, because it’s how the two will complement and provide a balance to one another further into the story.

Nils is of course like the other princes in the series, is attempting to fly under the radar and have a sense of normality for the year, and I like how because he’s older that his friends, that Nils has completed college and is getting to use his degree and experience on the ice as a coach. This is why when he realises he’s drawn to Adan, there are immediately a couple of reasons why he has to keep his distance, not only does he have to protect his secret identity from getting out, and of course he’s a coach and Adan is a student? However, there is also a seven-year difference in age between the two men. All of this should keep the prince away from the player who’s not quite as arrogant as he initially comes across as being.

But this wouldn’t be a romance if he walked away and I can’t help but like how their story comes about, and how natural the connection is between them is. Adan is probably my favourite of the men to catch a prince’s attention so far - and that’s after thinking Orson was adorable in book three. Adan is like an excitable puppy when he realises he is attracted to Nils, and there’s also the loyalty he has to his parents - he knows his own dream is within reach, but also that if he gets it, he can make his parents’ lives better too and it’s really sweet. I also liked how Nora Roberts approached both men’s discovery about their own individual sexuality, it’s handled in a natural and respectful manner; and I imagine there are people out there who can relate to what both Nils and Adan acknowledge about their sexual attraction to others. I particularly found it refreshing that for Adan, there’s no internalised homophobia from him - it’s almost like a light is turned on within him and he finds peace.

As with any romance there are bumps in the road - but these two it’s their determination to meet their goals, their priorities remain as they were before they met. Nils wants to enjoy his anonymity, and Adan wants to get to the NHL. But alongside the moments of light angst, this is a love story between two men who weren’t expecting to find this kind of connection with someone. I think this is my favourite book in The Prince Pact series so far - we have one more to go because there’s a British prince left to escape their notoriety. I read this over a day and came away smiling and content because it was a light romance of two men from very different backgrounds getting a ‘happy ever after’. I look forward to the possibility of seeing these couples together again, perhaps at an upcoming wedding. That would be the perfect farewell to them all.

[Cinthya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I enjoyed it!! It was really cute :’)

Lighthearted, easy to read, and it literally flew by.

The beginning was great, with awkward yet cute interactions and some sweet moments where they’re just hanging out and talking. I love those :’)

I really liked Nils as a character. He seemed really nice, and I loved reading about him and his friends, the fellow princes, because we got to see characters from past books 🧡 (Still not over Floris’ book, by the way. It’s still by far my favorite in the series.)

I liked Adan at first too. Hot-headed and confident. I liked the little back and forth he and Nils had at the beginning, and how Nils handled it. He did lose me a bit toward the end of the book though 😅 He became quite… annoying? Entitled?

I wasn’t a fan of how Adan handled the revelation of Nils being a prince. I had honestly kind of forgotten about it too 😅 because it was rarely mentioned. The story definitely focused more on the student/coach taboo. But the way Adan reacted? Damn.

Here’s where a bit of a spoiler comes in about Adan's reaction (I'll add a 👑 at the end in case the GR app doesn't hide that part like the website does):

Sure, they’d been working together for a while, but they weren’t even together. When things were starting to become more serious and head in a more intimate direction, Nils came clean… and Adan reacted like a complete a**hole 😂 I just wanted to scream at him that nobody owes him their life story after only a few months of knowing each other and only a few days of (barely) dating!

And to make it worse, he went on to tell two people Nils’ secret. Two! I get that he needed to process his anger, but come on… Nils needed time to trust him with that secret, yet it took Adan zero time to tell two other people about it. One was someone Nils didn’t even know on a deeper level, and the other was someone he hadn’t even met. How is that okay? 🥲

👑

Adan just came off as too entitled toward the end, which kind of ruined it for me a little, because they’d been adorable up until that point...

Anyway! Regardless of my annoyance toward Adan LMAO, it was still a fun and entertaining book. I kind of needed a lighthearted read after some previous books that completely destroyed me emotionally (in the best way possible), and this one came just in time :’)

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Prince’s Playbook is an easy-to-read, light romance that works best when you don’t think about it too much. However, if your brain just can’t help but engage, you might have a few problems with this book. Unfortunately, I was in this latter group and now can’t help sharing all those issues with you.

To begin, the characters are very flat. Our requisite prince in this book, Nils, hails from Sweden, but the most Swedish thing about him is that he’s bought a ton of IKEA furniture and uses a couple of Swedish words on occasion. His counterpart American, Adan, is a hockey poor kid hockey player. And to be honest, that’s about it. Interestingly though, the author mines a boat load of inappropriate power dynamics from this simple setup, including: A) coach-student (a HUGE and insurmountable ick in my opinion), B) age gap (7 years may not seem like much, but when the younger is only 20, that’s really gross), C) prince-commoner (obviously), and D) hidden identity. To be fair, this book handles the coach-student dynamic as well as can probably be done, but I still found myself unsettled and grossed out through most of it. No matter how mature you try to make your younger character, a 20 year old falling in love with their 27 year old coach is a level of inappropriate power dynamics my brain just can’t overcome.

Next, the author needs to spend more time actually creating a connection between her characters before they are “in love.” In this case, Nils falls in love with Adan in about 2.5-3 months of knowing each other with only about 3-4 personal interactions written on the page that were set outside a direct coaching scene. Without establishing a deeper connection than sitting on a bus for a 1.5 hour ride once and building a single piece of IKEA furniture together, the supposed true love connection they share just falls flat and unbelievable.

Lastly, with all the trouble his fellow princes have had on the road to love and mentions of press and royal obligations in all three books, it is absolutely INSANE to me how his fellow princes constantly hounded him to act on an inappropriate coach-student relationship. It struck an extra sour note in light of recent European royal family criminality in this arena.

In summation, leave your brain disengaged for this book and you’ll get the most bang for your buck.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sarah jwh · Rating 1 out of 5]

The stupid undercover prince storyline didn't bug me but the hockey coach getting with his 20 yo college player did enough to DNF

[Sjoukje · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the other books in the series but it still pissed me off. The story build up felt a lot more realistic. The characters were a lot more real and the starting friendship was sweet. And yes to all the IKEA complaints 🤣 Those user manuals are so hard 🤷🏽‍♀️, I completely suck at building anything I bought there. And the quality is crap, but you want to have it anyway 🤣

What I didn’t see coming was the whole story about Aden finding out about the prince stuff. Yes, Nils could have told him earlier. However… he did tell him! It’s not like Aden found out by finding his passport or something. Or by looking him up online (because his name, combined with Sweden probably would have already given everything away). And I found that very unrealistic in this day and age that you’re upset about the new coach they hired especially for you, and you don’t spend one second googling him? Also: in Canada at his former university everyone knows who he is. When he started, no one from his old team (or the periphery of his team) talked to the media to rat him out for some cash? Or maybe being a third tier prince isn’t that big of a deal as he claims. And are there no Swedish students at this university? Maybe not, but there must be at least one in any of the teams they play against. No one ever recognizes him and reveals that? It was a huge inconsistency to the rest of the story.

What I also didn’t get: why is he part of the prince pact? He is at least 5 years older than the others. That doesn’t make sense at all. The existence of the whole group is very unrealistic to be honest. Why would they have met in the first place? They’re so low in the line of the throne. They have zero royal responsibilities (irl anyway). They’re never invited to any royal weddings in other countries. I can’t imagine them meeting any state leaders as well. They are the children of the spares… only crown princes and princesses have duties. The younger ones will be present at royal things, but only if they choose to. And never with their children, once they have them.

And that brings me to another point: Nils troubled childhood makes no sense either, especially since he’s the son of a commoner as he so nicely put it. In our country (The Netherlands) the nieces and nephews of the king are maybe known, but never followed by paparazzi. I definitely wouldn’t recognize them in the street. Even the children of the king are never photographed by paparazzi (do it once and lose your right to photograph any of the royal family forever). I can’t imagine that’s very different in Sweden. It’s not the UK…
So I felt that whole angle was a piece of crap.

I don’t know why this whole unrealistic royal thing bugs me so much. At least she didn’t make up fake countries. It’s just a huge exaggeration of the truth of royalty. I know these books are fictional and not meant to teach anyone anything about the real world. I just can’t stand it that it gives so many wrong ideas about other cultures to the majority of people reading it.

So I guess I might not be the target audience for these books. And I did like the romance part. 😄 So in the end I gave it four stars. (Although I am questioning myself about that as well since the whole coach-player thing was also a bit icky… Why did Aden know where Nils lived and why would he let him in that first time… Very, very unprofessional and strange knowing how much he had to lose).

I definitely won’t reread. I do recommend it, if you promise to take it with a huge grain of salt 😄

[Yuli Atta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot, however, I wish the other main character wasn't 20 at the beginning of this book.
I'm 27 and wouldn't look at a 20-year old. But I'm also asexual so maybe that's another reason why 😂
I also felt that this book was very short and their feelings for each other weren't very believable to me given that they developed within the week

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving this one 2,75⭐️ I’m really sad I didn’t enjoy it! I kinda felt indifferent towards the last 70% of the book! 🫤

BOOK REVIEW ✨
TITLE: The Prince’s Playbook
AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: Boldwood Books
RELEASE DATE: March 20th
RATING: 2.75⭐️

Going into this book, it had everything I usually enjoy in a hockey romance: a queer story between two male main characters and an age gap dynamic (which I don’t mind when it’s done well).

Adan, the hockey player, was interesting in theory, but his personality didn’t fully convince me. At times he was portrayed as a confident, outspoken guy who was very involved with his family, yet it felt like there wasn’t much depth to him beyond that. His character didn’t feel particularly well developed. It wasn’t until around chapter 11 that he suddenly seemed sure of what he wanted and ready to go after it. He was confident and self-assured in some moments, but at the same time couldn’t bring himself to tell his best friend or family about his bi-awakening. Because of that, some of his choices felt inconsistent. He was the one who openly admitted his feelings to the other main character, but the way it happened felt rushed and somewhat reckless, especially considering that the relationship could potentially jeopardize his career.

Nils had a lot of similar issues for me. He was clearly attracted to Adan but kept insisting on stepping back so he wouldn’t interfere with Adan’s future. Unfortunately, this concern was repeated so often that it started to feel a bit frustrating and made me lose some interest in their dynamic.

The secret identity subplot also felt like an afterthought. It wasn’t really emphasized throughout the story, so by the time it became relevant during the confession, I had almost forgotten about it. Because of that, the reveal and the conflict surrounding the “lie” felt much bigger than the buildup warranted, which made the drama feel somewhat exaggerated.

Overall, the romance moved very quickly: insta-lust, insta-love, and then problems being resolved just as fast. For me, this made the emotional development feel rushed.

That said, if you liked Common Goal, you’ll probably enjoy this one more than I did. I’m starting to realize that age gaps and power dynamics in romances might not always work for me, especially when the relationship develops this quickly.

[Inga · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

I know I know…why did I read this? I like cheesy and over the top sometimes (that’s why I love Jax Calder‘s books) but this one made me more angry than swoon. Besides the highly inappropriate coach-student relationship they also where just…stupid? Especially the prince who I can’t believe did not think things through and had to be alerted by the consequences of their behavior from other people?? Hello, isn’t he supposed to older and has had some kind of media training?? It did have some cute moments but overall it’s the weakest of the three.

[Mikaela (risqué.romance) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prince’s Playbook - Nora Phoenix
4.5/5✨🌟

* SPOILERS *

If you’re looking for something super low angst or you’ve been wanting to get into Nora’s books, this series is the perfect one to start with. I loved this one from

I love me a good forbidden romance and this one hit all the right spots with these two. Adan an Prince Nils were absolute perfection. From the moment they met, I just knew that they were going to be a fun time, especially when he showed him off on that ice.

I loved all the cute moments from when he first helps him with the IKEA furniture to making the meatballs and just the sneaking around was fun too.

I also loved how Adan’s parents are good people and have sacrificed so much for him to go for his dream. Just super sweet. I also loved loved how when Nils told Adan that he was royal and how he told him what his name was. Priceless moment.

I also loved how the coach was aware of the two of them but never said anything to them.

All in all, this was such a good book, and I really loved how it wrapped up in the end. Just super cute.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3 in the Prince Pact series, we find Prince Nils from Sweden in Buffalo, NY ready to coach a talented player to attempted to get him into the NHL.

When they first meet Adan isn't exactly excited to have his own coach telling him what to do but once he can't deny Nils methods or results they both start to warm up to each other and have an easy working relationship that blooms into a more difficult attraction. Not only is this a bad idea because of of their coach/player relationship but they also have a bit of an age gap (don't worry they're both in their 20s).

One thing I really appreciated about the story is that Nils already knows he's bisexual and although Adan is a little surprised about his attraction, there's no internalized homophobia here. Nils is dealing with a recent betrayal in a relationship and Adan needs to put his career first.

I really enjoy this whole series. Overall it's light and fun along with some good spice. There's some good humor and just enough angst to keep things interesting. I can't wait to see how the next one pans out!

Thanks NetGalley and Boldwood Books for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive an early copy of this book. I did read the previous two books, but this can be read as a stand-alone.  Nils a prince from Sweden was in New York to coach a college hockey player who needed that extra support to make it to the big leagues.  They were amazing and sweet together.  It was a slow-burn romance, but worth it. I loved that there was no added drama. The ending was perfect.  Overall it was a great romance!! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC to review. 

[Brenda Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prince’s Playbook was an unexpected and engaging MM hockey romance. The forbidden coach-player dynamic created great tension, and the twist that the coach is secretly royalty added an extra layer of intrigue. Strong chemistry, emotional stakes, and a unique spin make this a solid recommendation for hockey romance lovers.

[Liz ✨]

DNFING @ 40% I’ve been reading this for two months and I just can’t anymore lol.

[Jack Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince’s Playbook by Nora Phoenix is the third book in the series and follows Prince Nils, who heads to Buffalo to start a new chapter as a hockey coach. Determined to focus on the team and prove himself outside of royal life, Nils quickly finds himself challenged by Adan, a talented but cocky player with dreams of making it to the NHL. As Nils works to push Adan to become the best player he can be, the tension between coach and student begins to grow into something neither of them can ignore. But with strict boundaries in place and everything on the line for Adan’s future, acting on those feelings could risk it all.

This was such an enjoyable sports romance. The coach/player dynamic adds great tension, and watching Adan grow as both a player and a person throughout the season was really satisfying. The chemistry between Nils and Adan builds slowly, making every moment between them feel meaningful and full of anticipation. If you enjoy sports romances with a forbidden element and plenty of heart, this one is definitely worth picking up. 🏒💙

A big thank you to @netgalley , @boldwoodbooks , and @nora.phoenix for the ARC opportunity.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. It was so fun and heartfelt. I truly enjoyed it! I didn't realize it was part of a series until after I was done reading, and I can't wait to go back and read the rest.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up The Prince’s Playbook while riding a serious hockey romance high following my read of Heated Rivalry. Add in one of my favourite tropes (secret identity) in the form of a secret prince? SIGN ME UP. While this didn’t quite land for me, I can absolutely see it working well for the right reader.

I’ll start by saying that I’m not usually a big romance reader anyway, which means I tend to be pretty picky about dynamics and execution. This book was enjoyable and easy to read, and it definitely scratched the hockey romance itch I had following heated rivalry on a surface level. The setting is fun, and there are moments of charm and humour through out it.

That said, a few elements didn’t fully work for me, largely due to my personal preferences. The romance between our two leads has a strong power-imbalance / forbidden-relationship vibe that felt VERY similar to a student-teacher dynamic. A lot of the tension in the novel rode upon the turmoil of the ‘wrongness’ of the relationship, at least definitely on Nils' end. While this is clearly intentional and will appeal to some readers, it’s a trope I generally dislike and therefore avoid. The seven year age gap itself isn’t huge on paper, but combined with the coaching relationship and the different stages of life the characters are in, 20 vs 27 it felt more pronounced to me than it should have otherwise.

I also struggled a bit with the development of the romance. We’re told fairly early on that feelings are forming, but I didn’t always feel that emotional progression on the page. They had a legitimately professional relationship at the beginning, and when we get the “I’m falling for him” from Nils at 22% I couldn’t see it. Where are these feelings coming from? There’s a tendency toward telling rather than showing the emotional states, especially when it comes to how close the characters are becoming, which made it harder for me to fully invest in their connection. We are told over and over how ‘we developed a more personal relationship’ and a friendship that meant too much to them both, but I felt like I had failed to see it in practice.

This leads into a general trend I saw in the writing, where a lot of reiteration happened. For example, there is a scene where Nils gives Adan his skates. Nils has the inner dialogue of: “When he’d been so interested in trying out my skates, I hadn’t even hesitated in offering.” This had been explicitly (and obviously) shown through the actions of the characters two pages previous, and seemed like an unnecessary statement. Additionally, a personal pet peeve of mine is when an author feels the need to let me know that something is an innuendo - or has a “double meaning” to use the wording in this novel. In this book, as in most novels, the reaction of a character is usually enough to flag to a reader that it was an innuendo if they somehow missed it themselves. In general, I think this is a book that would have perhaps benefited from a little more trust in its readers.

There were a few immersion issues for me, particularly around Nils. Nils is Swedish, but the extent of his Swedish identity seems to be Ikea. They have a date and he cooks Swedish meatballs, mashed potato, gravy and lingonberry sauce. Aka. The Ikea Halfway-Through-Meal. Yes, I acknowledge that this is actually a national dish and no doubt is massively popular in Sweden, but it did make me laugh when combined with the only other 'Swedish’ trait being that Nils has Ikea furniture he can’t put together.

At one point there is a photo referenced of Nils in military dress. Admittedly, I don’t know the specifics of the Swedish royals, but while many royals DO wear military uniforms it is typically because many of them do military service. If Nils went straight from high-school to college to play at college in Canada, and then to get a degree and become a hockey coach, I doubt he did any military service. There may have been time for this, but my quick maths of the known timeline makes me think this was not the case. Let alone a career in military that results in "medals across his chest"

The 'secret prince' aspect was a fun hook, but it required a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. Given how public both hockey and royal life tend to be, I was questioning how on earth this ‘secret’ could realistically be maintained. Disappointingly for me, the whole prince thing was not relevant and is barely even mentioned at all for the first 60% of the book. And then when it does finally come up, it’s just so there’s a third act break up - making the reveal itself felt more like a simple story flavour than an integral part of the story. I would have loved to see that element woven more deeply into the narrative earlier on, and have greater stakes on the plot beyond 'oh no you lied to me about your identity.'


All that said this is still a solid, fun hockey romance that I did enjoy reading. For readers out there who enjoy forbidden relationships, hockey romance where they actually play hockey (yay!), and a lighter approach to realism will likely have a great time with it. While it wasn’t entirely to my taste, I don’t regret reading it and would encourage anyone who is intrigued by the summary to still pick it up and give it a go.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Marissa Eckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and of course Nora Phoenix. I was 50 percent through and instant 5 stars. 84 percent through if I could I would give it a 10 stars. And I didn't even finish it yet. I read it all of course I had to. Oh my gosh.. oh my gosh I loved loved loved loved this from Tank and Adan's friendship, to the family dynamic, to the hockey, to the spice, to the feels that made me laugh, smile, gasped, and cried. Yes I did all those things this book was just up and down in emotions that was all good. The story was worth the wait to read this. Now to get into review some spoilers will be in here but not everything.
First off Tank and Adan their friendship is your typical brothers for life. Tank has a way to get Adan riled up and usually it ends with Adan telling him to shut up. But Adan of course knows when Tank does this he's right. The family for both characters is just inspiring. Adan's parents give up and do so much for Adan for him to get to the NHL. From taking 2nd jobs to missing his games to pay for things for him. His parents care so much for him and they would do anything for their son's happiness. Nils the other male character. Prince in disguise as a hockey coach. He had this flashback moment to when he was a little kid of playing hockey and it was just so heartbreaking for him. The hockey I mean its a college player wanting a shot at the NHL. Hockey coach helping him become better. The one on one lessons were amazing and even the games were like me rooting for them to win so the scouts can see the potential that Nils sees in Adam. Nils and Adan have stolen glances and forbidden touches but safe at the same time that neither of them can stop as they work on Adan's hockey. The spice I mean its MM romance sometimes there is spice. they start off just learning about each other since neither of them have been with men before. Nils last relationship was well even she made me angry. How dare she. That's all I got to say about how she treated Nils. Literally how dare she. Back to spice between Adan and Nils. Its slow burn it doesn't happen in the first 4 chapters or beginning or fast its yearned for. They both know they should be professional but they just cant stop and I love that for them. From the first kiss to the first sexual moment was just well they were on fire. Now to the moments that made me feel a lot of emotions. From moments with Tank being well Tank(Love that character) to Adan's father he had his funny moment being the big man wanting to stand up for anyone hurting his son. Now to the moments that made me just cry. HIT players who ganged up on Adan on the ice and of course Nils was ready to through his own punches at them players for hurting Adan. He was in so much pain but thankfully Nils nursed him helping him which was just so beautiful. Then to the long written excuse me hand written letter from Nils to Adan. Why because he kept that he was a Prince from him he wanted people to see him as a person not as a prince. Yes Adan had the right to be angry but they way Nils wrote that letter to Adan was so thoughtful and heartfelt and so honest. He let his heart out for Adan. When he said he loves him I lost it I was so past crying a little at that point. I loved them together and even apart it grew their feelings for one another and the reunion for them was well deserved. Yes its a HEA. There is no bad moments where I was like nevermind that 5 stars. It was etched in stone a 5 star but if I could 10 star. I cant wait to read more. Nora you grabbed my attention so bad with Nils and Adan's story.

Favorite Quotes/Moments

"You ready to meet your new babysitter?" I shot him a look that could've melted the ice. "He's not a babysitter, asshole. He's supposed to be some kind of skills coach."
"You're the one who got us kicked out of that bar last month." "Details." Tank grabbed his helmet and stick. "Come on, Rivera. Time to meet your new boyfriend." I shoved him hard enough to make him stumble. "Shut up, man." (Adan and Tank moments that made me laugh)
"Midnight. I'm not your player anymore."
"Never again." he said against my mouth. "Never keeping distance again."
All the time in the world to kiss, to touch, to love each other without fear of getting caught or ruining careers. I was exactly where I belong.
All these months of careful distance, and now he was here. In my bed. Mine.

[kallixto ── .✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU GUYS, THIS WAS GENUINELY SO GOOD!

When I say I didn’t expect this book to be as good as it was, I really mean it. I already loved the first two books in the series, but this one still managed to surprise me in the best way possible.

If you remember my review of the second book, I mentioned how badly I wanted an ARC of the third because I absolutely devoured the previous installment. And well… here we are! Getting the chance to read it early felt amazing, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

In my previous review I also talked about how the series gave me a bit of a Young Royals meets Heated Rivalry vibe, and honestly that comparison feels even more fitting here. After all, we’re literally dealing with the Prince of Sweden in this book, how much more perfect can that comparison get?

The writing felt incredibly smooth and engaging, which made the story so easy to fall into. Nora Phoenix did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, giving them distinct personalities and believable emotions. I loved spending time with them and watching their dynamic unfold throughout the story.

Another thing I really appreciated was the balance in the book. It had such a great mix of tenderness, romance, emotional moments, and spice. The smut scenes never felt overwhelming or out of place–they were perfectly timed and added to the connection between the characters rather than taking away from the story.

Overall, I genuinely loved this book from start to finish. If you’re considering picking up The Prince’s Playbook, I absolutely recommend it. I actually recommend you to read all the previous ones and then, dive into this one to met Adan and Nils! <3

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗥𝗖!

Quotes:
“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺-𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘐'𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯.
𝘖𝘫 𝘥å, 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥”.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬”.

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘴.
"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?"
"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳."
𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦-𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺.
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘯. 𝘈 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦."
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.

"𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦."

[lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc!

every time i get a new one of these i make a confused pikachu face and then dive right in. honestly, not sure what i will do with myself when the series ends and i need to find a new annoying-but-sweet romance series to review?

this one was the best one yet, by far, until the end. i think i honestly just liked the ~forbidden~ setup and then the maturity with which nils and adan dealt with it. this book had yearning, which i appreciate. also: strong communication despite nils desperately wanting to hide from his feelings made the yearning somehow stronger? i really liked how honest they were with each other throughout (other than the princely reveal, but nils got there in the end. and i don't get why adan felt so betrayed?)
throughout the book my main grievance was what seemed to me an immense misunderstanding of canadian culture re: no lol the university hockey players are not celebrities on campus. at my university the only reason i even knew we had a hockey team is because the university insisted on building a brand new rink for them despite saying the school had no money and was simply being forced to raise tuition. but whatever it's fine this is a book about a fake european prince i'm not really looking for an accurate sense of culture.
so the bit of this book that i am mad at is the ending. this book takes place in what is meant to be our society, plus a few random princes. so when adan immediately comes out upon signing to an nhl team, it just annoyed me. that isn't the fantasy happening here, the fantasy is the royalty. if you want a book where queer people in men's professional sports aren't discriminated against and homophobia is completely nonexistent, those books do exist. but there are characters in this series who feel unsafe coming out to their family, and you want me to believe the nhl loves the gays? it felt cheap and like the author had written themself into a trap by making adan so successful. but if you aren't unfortunately aware of the sorry state of men's hockey, probably you won't mind!

all in all, this book was definitely the best in the series until the last couple chapters, which is annoying the only bit of the book where nils and adan are actually together. oh whale, you can't win em all.

thank you again for the arc, and i can't wait to see what happens in book 4!

[Danielle Cordsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prince’s playbook
By: Nora Phoenix

Sweet but so much fun!

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Adam and Nil’s are such a sweet low angst forbidden duo. Add in hockey a forbidden prince and two people who enjoy getting to know the other and it’s a recipe for forever right? The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author.

Authors blurb: The rules are simple: protect my secret and never ever fall for a player.
Coaching college hockey was supposed to be a fresh start for the next year anyway. A chance to leave behind the royal spotlight and just be Nils, the guy who loves the game. No one knows I’m a Swedish prince, and I plan to keep it that way.
Then I meet Adan. Talented. Fiercely competitive. And somehow, despite every rule and reason not to, I can’t stop wanting him.
He’s not much younger than me, but I’m assigned to work one-on-one with him. I’m technically his coach, and I’m supposed to be the line he doesn’t cross. But then we kiss and everything blurs. For Adan, it’s a first. His first time with a man. His first time questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. For me, it’s a risk I shouldn’t take because if anyone finds out, I could lose more than just my job. Adan thinks I’m afraid of getting caught. But he doesn’t know what’s really at stake.

There’s no chapter in my playbook for this. And no easy way out except risking it all.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know you’re 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

[aplace_inthesun) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thank you to the publisher for the ARC of this book via Netgalley.

I’ve read the previous books in the series so for background we’ve already seen princes find their men in different settings. The challenge of this now as a series is a point of difference with the books, as the premise is the same for all of them - hidden identity, and thus the prince keeps a secret from the love interest which then threatens the future of their relationship. (The princes have a pact with one another to spend 12 months under the radar living a normal life).

In this case Prince Nils of Sweden is a hockey coach at college in the US. Adan is the start of the team and is 20 yo. So a tad taboo (coach-student) and an age gap of 7 years.

I feel if people totally suspend disbelief and are all about the romance they will appreciate this if they’re ok with the coach/student and age-gap dynamic. For people with awareness of hockey culture or wanting books to be reflective of different cultures (Swedish, prior history of being in a Canadian college) then this might be a bigger challenge. Because the Swedish links for me were IKEA and meatballs largely, and as far as hockey culture goes the book doesn’t delve at all into homophobia or the fact Adam is on the cusp of signing in the NHL and how significant an out bi rookie would be in that world. It’s particularly relevant at the moment due to the success of HR within the context of a deeply misogynistic NHL run by old white men who don’t recognise the successes of their women counterparts, and resist Pride Nights and anything remotely gay, making the NHL a pretty unsafe space.

I think I sit somewhere in the middle with all these issues. I enjoyed the book - found Adan to be super mature for his age with some of the dialogue at times a little unrealistic (even his roommate in the last third) and whilst this was a bi-awakening for both I wondered about the “ease of it”.

Overall I enjoyed this taken lightly (because fiction) and I’ll be interested to see what’s in store for the next book as far as a point of difference

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora Phoenix, once again—you’ve written an absolute peak book. I love your stories so much, but this one? This one has my whole heart. And also… thanks for making me cry. Not once, not twice, but three separate times.

That letter—Nils’ heartfelt message—completely wrecked me. It was absolute perfection, and I was already emotional, but then *that* moment after the hockey accident? When he’s out of it and says “seven months is a lot”… yeah, I was done for. Full-on tears. Also why did tears fall at their first time cause that scene was beautiful i swear im sane 🥹.

I loved getting more of Nils, and I especially loved watching both of them go through a bi awakening together. There was something so genuine and tender about seeing them figure themselves out side by side. And Nils always putting Adan first, no hesitation? That got me every time.

There were also so many funny moments that balanced everything out. Him going into the coach’s office like, “I’m a prince,” and the coach just being like, “I know”—that sent me. And Adan’s friend reacting like, “Our coach is a prince? Let’s Google this”—honestly, so real.

I also really loved how they took the time to truly get to know each other—sharing their interests, their passions, all those little pieces of themselves. The stargazing date was so special (even if it didn’t exactly go as planned).

And the yearning??? How is it *that* intense when they’re basically already together, just waiting? It hurt in the best way and had me wanting to sob the entire time.

The only thing I’d criticize is the beginning of the book—their tension was a bit hard to get into at first. But as I kept reading, I got more invested in it. It might just be because there wasn’t much there between them yet early on. Still, I really loved the book overall.

[Capreacula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25 stars

Nice cute little story, but not great:

I didn't get why they fell in love. I didn't feel the spark. Both are nice characters but they remained too 2-dimensional for me.
Same with the hockey, sadly.
Agfter Nils' confession, Adan's reaction was annoying: another obnoxious American who reacts weirdly to Nils' real identity. Why should aa aristocrat who's recently had really bad experiences trust a youngster with his secret?
The relationship feels oddly onesided: Nils can be himself with Adan but that means he'll do anything for the guy (expensive skates, expensive outerwear for the star gazing, existing solely as a foil for the other MC?).
I don't get the chemistry.
I don't get why they know that the other one us THE guy for forever- no introspection about the sudden realisation on Adan's part about his sexual identity, just pure acceptance from family, friends, head coach??? The father instantly being accepting and with the best ever advice? Even his mate being emotionally more mature than Adan?
Don't get me wrong - it's great that there's no big drama, but it feels too idealistic.
As in book 1, the team dynamics are really flimsy, the other team mates hardly there.
Also, why would Nils trust Adan enough to write a letter- this could easily turned into a PR nightmare if Adan had turned out to be an Alexandra (Nils' ex).
The treatment of the problematic coach vs player was good. Really nice to see them agreeing on keeping the distance, the yearning.
But the biggest hurdle to rate this higher is the hockey element: as if making it to a signed contract were a guarantee to a successful career already. Also, living openly as a gay couple seems too futuristic: the league still has no out player, makes only tiny steps towards a more acceptance.

[Elizgangsta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Prince Pact Series by Nora Phoenix!

She did it again! I enjoyed this book so much. It is an MM romance featuring forced proximity, forbidden love, friends-to-lovers, and a bi-awakening.

First, we have Nils, a Swedish prince and assistant hockey coach. He is hired to help Adan transition from a great college player to the NHL. I loved that Nils is a classic minimalist and always stays calm; he thinks through everything and constantly strives to do what is right. However, because of his past, he struggles to trust that people will love him for who he is rather than for his title.

Then there is Adan, a star college hockey player who needs to refine his skills to reach the next level. Although he is initially against getting help, thinking he already knows best, he quickly realizes there is always room to learn. Adan is driven by his dream of going pro and his desire to support his amazing, selfless parents. He soon finds himself enjoying his time with Nils, only to realize that something deeper than friendship is blossoming.

Because they are coach and student, being together is against the rules, and they don’t want to ruin Adan’s shot at the NHL.

I really appreciated the slower pace of this story. It was less "spicy" than others, but that worked perfectly here; the romance needed to develop slowly because their relationship essentially had to be put on hold. Nora wrote the characters beautifully, and I felt their emotions every step of the way.

I can't wait to read the last book in the series when it comes out!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Roroblu'sMum · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* A decent storyline that thankfully is pretty much trope-free, although you do need to suspend disbelief a bit.

This is a cute, romantic and if you can get over the prince-pauper thing - to use this purely as a comparison between the leads' backgrounds and upbringing - the tale works. Adan is sweet and family orientated, and he's got working-class parents who've sacrificed a lot for him. I loved that when he hit the big time, he insisted that they both retire.

Nils didn't have a stick up his royal arse, which helped, but that was the bit that required suspension of disbelief, because who in 2026 isn't friends with Google? It didn't seem believable that no one clocked who he was.

The tale was plausible, giving them an organic reason to meet, but that both embraced being bi so easily and quickly felt a bit 'hmm...yeah...' Nils was more believable than Adan, so that's where the tale lost 1* for me. Too much immediate acceptance, not a worry about whether this was real or not, or about the optics in a country that's reversing everything DEI and is cruel to many on a good day. It lacked realism, but the royalty aspect was a convenient distraction when they outed themselves. Theirs feels like a HFN more than a HEA, which I think was more realistic, given that Adan was only 20 and at the start of his career. I think it had hints of becoming the latter, especially with some veey few words on the final page. We didn't get to see the leads enough years into their future, which lost the tale 0.5* for me, but it was short and uncomplicated, and trope-free.

ARC courtesy of Boldwood Books and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure