I immediately knew I wanted to read this book the second I saw the stunning cover. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I had to know the story of Kadou and Evemer because there was no way it couldn't be epic with a cover like that one. The synopsis just made me anticipate reading it even more. Political conspiracy and intrigue on top of a MM bodyguard romance? I'm sold.

I was fascinated by both the world and its magic system. It had a distinct culture, but I wanted more from the world-building. For example, I never really got a good sense of what the prince's royal duties actually were on a day to day basis. There was plenty of him having meals, taking baths, and spending time with his bodyguards, but he rarely ever did anything else. I get that he was the spare, but the book made it seem like he had quite a few official roles, as well. I felt like I never really got to see him in that element, and it was a bit of a disappointment. The magic was also a bit of a let down. I enjoyed the idea of the touch-tasters and liked the instances where it was addressed or incorporated. I just wanted more of it. Magic was a surprisingly small element in this story, and I would like to have seen the powers and their different uses explored in more depth.

I enjoyed the writing. The dialogue, both internal and external, was well-written and did a great job of bringing the characters to life. The plot and pacing were a bit hit or miss for me, though. I liked the romance aspects of the story, but the rest of it seemed like an afterthought. The mystery felt like the plot device that it was from the very beginning, and it was so very obvious. It didn't help that the characters made nonsensical choices like leaving the baby princess alone in a place the enemy knew about, with only a relatively small guard. There was also an instance right after they discovered the villain where the main characters just go to bed together seemingly without informing the sultan what they found out. The ending didn't help these problems either because the resolution of the conspiratorial scheme was super anticlimactic and didn't even involve the main characters.

The anxiety and LGBT rep in this book were both quite good. I frequently struggle with anxiety rep in books. On the one hand, I love seeing that part of me represented in literature and the characters I read. On the other hand, it often makes internal dialogue repetitive and tedious to read, which is totally on point because that is what it is like to constantly live with anxious thoughts. This author did such a great job of writing the thoughts that I didn't mind the repetition, but it was definitely there enough to be noticeable. As for the LGBT rep, there were bi+ people a plenty, and the inclusion of so many characters that fell outside the gender binary was a pleasant surprise.

You might be thinking this is an incredibly negative review. You'd be wrong! I loved the romance in this SO MUCH. The yearning was almost painful to read at times. There wasn't a ton of spice, but I enjoyed what was there. So many of the scenes were agonizing because it was crystal clear that the sexual tension was electric, but the characters just wouldn't give in to it. The author clearly has a talent for writing characters and relationship dynamics. The way the characters speak to each other and think about one another will definitely get your heart racing, and there were even several instances where it would have been embarrassing for me to read this in public... The super anxious and stoic pairing of the characters just worked so well together. All I wanted was for them to realize they belong together forever because they complemented each other perfectly.

I really liked all the characters, as well. Evemer was stoic and disciplined on the outside and a mushy marshmallow on the inside. I loved him from the start and initially wanted to protect him from Kadou's messy self. At first, I didn't like Kadou that much, but he grew on me much the same way he grew on Evemer. At the beginning, I found him to be whiny despite his immense privilege until I understood his anxiety better and the weight he created for himself with his expectations for his actions in regard to the kingdom. My favorite character, though, was Tadek. Can we get a series on his exploits? He was fun, flirty, and absolutely hilarious. His budding friendship with Evemer was comedy gold and had me giggling all the time.

All in all, this was a great fantasy romance. It was a little light on the fantasy aspects, though. If you are looking for a MM romance filled with so much yearning it hurts, then this is definitely the book for you. Just don't expect an epic political conspiracy or tons of magic because that is not really what this book brings to the table. I'm going to give this one five stars because I loved the romance and characters in this one just as much as I expected. It probably could have been an all-time favorite if the fantasy elements had been a little stronger.

Just what I needed. A fantasy romance where queerness is normalized and there’s seamless use of different pronouns, full of powerful women, and with a slowburn relationship between prince and his sworn bodyguard - I loved the development of Kadou and Evermer together (especially because I found Kadou super annoying at first). Such a slowburn!! My only complaint is that during the first third I felt like I was thrown into the world and the characters too quickly. I actually at one point had to stop and make sure I hadn’t started a sequel by accident. 😅However, once the author settled into the story, I feel like the writing got significantly better, the character growth was wonderful, and I found myself wanting to keep reading and was totally hooked.

A taste of gold and iron is by far the best book of 2022. The author got all the details right, from world-building to the intricate relationship between Evermer and Kadou ( I've read that the writer had to redo her manuscript 6 times before getting it right). Tadek is a character, who at first, serves as a piece within the narrative but slowly grows on the readers and brings the comic quality to a story that sometimes can get a little bit heavy. If you are into stories that are full of conspiracy theories, betrayal, and an attempt to take over the throne, then this is the right book for you.

This fantasy romance is a true delight!
In my opinion, the strength of this book lies in the characterization of our main couple. Prince Kadou is completely believable in both his struggles and his privilege, and following his journey is a masterful unfolding of new layers and depths. Kadou has moments of weakness and perhaps cowardice, but we also see his tender heart and his constant striving to do and BE better, for everyone around him and for all he is responsible. It is so easy to love a character whose biggest fault is caring too much.
Evermer is also more complicated (in the best way) than when we first get to know him. I especially appreciated that his role as a kahya went way beyond a simple guard: he had years of education and training across multiple subjects and disciplines, his role both to Kadou and to the reader was more nuanced and significant. We get to learn more about both of the main characters as Evermer's opinions of his prince are formed and then broken down over time. The author has carefully and wonderfully deconstructed the reader's expectations and initial judgements in parallel to Evermer doing the same with Kadou--and the end result is the same: I love these characters as much as they love each other.
The emotional development was laid out extensively, and we get to spend time in dual perspectives, which allows a front row seat as each man is evaluating the other, and learning to trust and care for the other as well. While the timeline did seem a little short overall, these characters are rarely apart, and so the growth of their intense feelings has a solid foundation. I felt that the author excelled at writing a slow-burn romance, full of tension and a fair amount of angst.

Like many fantasy stories, the first 50 or so pages did require a bit of extra focus, as we are thrown into the thick of things. There's a lot of set up happening at the start, and while I loved the element of unfamiliar words building an interesting culture and setting, it was tough for me to gain a firm footing. There are a few important events that happen off page and we are told how this has set the stage for Kadou, but it felt like a lot of events and characters to keep straight. Once both main characters have been brought together and the primary investigation element begins, everything levels out well and I was thoroughly invested, eagerly turning pages despite the length of the book. While it did sometimes feel a bit long, I absolutely adored the amount of time spent building the romance and feelings.
However, I did feel like there was a bit of a tonal shift for the second half of the book, which becomes more comedic and somewhat lighter, with any characters who could be construed as "bad guys" portrayed almost ridiculously twirling their evil mustaches. The character of Tadek here became a flamboyant court jester, able to be disrespectful and overly-familiar with royalty and commanders he had recently been reporting to. This is also where my impression of the intended audience shifted younger, and as there is minimal on-page sexual activity, I did wonder if the target reader is young adult. Additionally, the inclusion of the magical ability to 'taste' metal was only somewhat interesting. While I completely understand this added opportunity for lyrical language and metaphor (and I liked it!) it felt only minorly significant to the plot. And the only other magical aptitude we hear about are a rare few who can determine truth from lies--honestly a skill I think would have been more interesting to read about.

One element I particularly enjoyed was the ready inclusion of so many options when it came to relationships and identities. It felt completely built in and seamless that there are more than two genders, and heterosexual relationships are not portrayed as the norm nor the preference culturally. The sultan was Kadou's sister, and topics such as marriage and lineages are presented as matrilineal and were very interesting. There are multiple high ranking positions held by women and by gender fluid individuals, and the discussion of politically arranged marriages were based on the preferences of those involved, not only for purposes of child-bearing.

Also, I appreciate the inclusion of Kadou's anxiety and panic attacks throughout this book. Though not something I can speak on myself, the portrayal of his own perceptions of himself and of these incidences felt realistic to me. Kadou feels at times ruled by his feelings, and persecuted too, but also frustrated and angry, and I think this was important to include. Ultimately his worries helped to round out his personality and demonstrate his true morality and ethics, and I am pleased that his concerns did not disappear by the end of the book--this wasn't a 'condition' that was cured by his falling in love.

Overall, this book is one I thoroughly enjoyed! It is a bit long and takes time to find its footing, but the cultural and political aspects of the world building felt rich and well drawn. And these elements functioned to support the development of the romance, which was beautifully developed over the course of the book.
Personally, I appreciated some of my favorite romance tropes that were present: bodyguard romance, mutual pining, only one bed, oaths and promises, slow burn, situation 'requires' kissing... and would recommend this to anyone who would like to bridge the gap between high fantasy and romance, or who wants to read a romance with a dash of magical realism.

In this stunning queer fantasy, Prince Kadou has recently fallen out of the good graces of the sultan. He is reassigned a new bodyguard (who comes with a useful habit for impersonating a stone wall) and is tasked with investigating a counterfeiting scheme. This is a world where metal can be found impure if one possesses a touch-talent, which makes counterfeits particularly chaotic to stability. As if that weren’t enough, the humiliation and anxiety Kadou feels is at times incapacitating. Kadou must work together with his recalcitrant bodyguard and exuberant armsman to unmask a conspiracy with the potential to destroy the kingdom...and fall in love along the way?

A Taste of Gold and Iron is one of my favorite books of the year so far!! I want ALL the queer fantasy and A Taste of Gold and Iron is a beautiful addition to the genre. Sometimes you find a book and it just feels perfect for you- that’s how I felt about this story. I loved that the characters had the ability to make mistakes and come back from them. The world-building was thoughtful and queer inclusive. And the tropes…Rowland incorporates so many favorites from: there’s only one bed, found family, kissing to avert suspicion, bodyguard, slowburn and the list continues!! A character also suffers from chronic anxiety and this was handled with intention and care.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a standalone, but I hope we see more stories in this world or get to return to these characters!! I loved it and already plan to reread! I can’t wait to see what Rowland writes next. I would recommend this book to anyone but especially for readers who enjoy political schemes, queer inclusive fantasy worlds, and truly lovable characters.

Thank you to Alexandra Rowland, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc

I very much enjoyed this MM fantasy book.

The unique magic system, the political intrigue, histories of different regions. But can I say WOW matriarchal system! I'm so fascinates by the female Sultans and all children they have are their own and they just have body father's that have no rights to those children. The prince has his own powers but the female becomes Sultan over the male heir.

Kadou the prince feels so much and after being told of all his responsibilities at a young age he gets very anxious when he gets overwhelmed with the impact of his decisions. Love all of his sides he is such a full character. Also, his slow burn romance with his seemingly cold new personal guard.

Totally recommend! There's a whole investigation, political intrigue, double crossing, amazing world building with the slow burn romance and magic.

Thank you tordotcompub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I absolutely loved this one. The writing was rich and evocative, and Kadou was such a wonderful character who I saw a lot of myself in. I'd absolutely recommend this book to all my friends.

This was my first by this author but certainly not my last. I loved the lush and full world and it held my attention throughout.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is a sweeping fantasy epic, full of soaring romance, political intrigue, and criminal conspiracies. This lush world is loosely inspired by the Ottoman Empire, brought to life with a rich mythology and intricate world-building. There are gods and temples and festivals, royalty and oaths of fealty, sea serpents, and human lie detectors. And some people — including Prince Kadou — can touch-taste the purity of metals like gold and silver with just their fingertips.

The first chapter is a little dense with world-building, but don’t let that scare you off. Once Evemer is introduced, all bets are off.

WARNING: *fangirl mode has been activated* because, y’all. Y’ALL. This book. I have no words, only screams.

This is a fantasy in more ways than one: there’s no sexism, no homophobia, no gender binary. Araşt is a matriarchal society, and there are multiple nonbinary characters (çe/çir), as well as characters that appear to be ace, demi, bi/pan, and gay, though the specific terms aren’t used. There’s no question of whether nonbinary people or queer relationships will be accepted; it’s just an ordinary fact of life in this world, which is so fun and refreshing to read.

Now for the main event: Kadou and Evemer, loves of my life. Alexandra Rowland just gets me, okay? This book feels like fanfiction, and I mean that in the best way. It has that x-factor that takes a book from “great” to “I’M OBSESSED”: Complex, compelling characters, and an almost indulgent focus on their relationship told through alternating points-of-view that let you see them being extra AF about each other internally (and externally).

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a slow burn enemies-to-lovers, in that Evemer doesn’t like Kadou for, like, 5 minutes, and then they both spend approximately a million years oblivious to their feelings while somehow simultaneously pining. They’re ridiculous. I love them so much.

I don’t like him. I just think he’s interesting. And pretty. And mysterious. And can kick my ass and save my life. But I definitely don’t like him. — Evemer, basically

Evemer doesn’t think Kadou is a worthy prince, but it’s his job as a kahya (a bodyguard, but one that also helps Kadou dress and bathe and shave [!!], etc.) to serve him loyally, and die for him if necessary. But he quickly realizes there’s more to the prince than meets the eye, and once you earn Evemer’s respect, the guy is the definition of ride-or-die. Though, Kadou also just has that effect on people.

Kadou, my beautiful, anxious little prince. He wants so badly to do his duty to his kingdom, and to his sister (the sultan), and to the kahyalar in his service. Through Kadou, the book ruminates on questions of loyalty and reciprocity, the duty of care that rulers owe their subjects, and the responsibility that comes with power. But his constant anxious thoughts and unexpected panic attacks make him doubt his own judgment and worth.

The depiction of anxiety in A Taste of Gold and Iron is startlingly, painfully accurate — it’s more than just worrying too much; it’s the way Kadou obsessively frets over every little thing, constantly apologizes, and feels like he’s not good enough and is an inconvenience to everyone around him.

“He pulled all the pins out of his hair and unbraided it—his scalp ached even more to be released from that tight binding—and spent the next half hour staring into nothing and reviewing every word that he had said to anyone that day, inspecting each interaction from several angles to determine which ones he should be crushingly embarrassed about, and to what degree.” — A Taste of Gold and Iron, pgs. 48-49

Kadou and Evemer are so soft with each other, and so desperately fond. I highlighted practically every scene they’re in together, or even just thinking about one another. Every single moment is just utterly thrilling, whether it flutters your stomach or makes your heart ache. They see the best in each other, even when they can’t see it in themselves. And over the course of the story, largely due to their mutual faith, stoic, bad-at-words Evemer and anxious, insecure Kadou grow to be more confident, open, and trusting.

It’s about the yearning. It’s about the devotion. It’s about the tenderness. It’s about trying to hold onto whatever small piece you can of someone you think you can’t have or won’t get to keep. It’s about saving one another in a million small ways and more than one big way. It is PEAK romance, tbh. Rowland’s powerful, emotive prose will make your stomach feel like you’ve just gone over the crest of a rollercoaster or jumped off a cliff into the open air, as you watch Kadou and Evemer fall into seemingly star-crossed love.

There are also plenty of light-hearted moments, with almost modern humor and sarcasm that somehow doesn’t seem out of place in this ancient-feeling world. I have to give a special shoutout to Kadou’s puckish armsman Tadek, who is hilarious— full of quips and banter and mischief — but is also utterly devoted to his prince. He drives Evemer completely crazy, and it is delightful. (OT3, anyone? 👀)

In addition to Tadek, the book is populated with a large cast of lovable, lively secondary characters, including nonbinary kahya Melek, whose ability to touch-taste is stronger than even Kadou’s. And then there’s the kahyalar captain Eozena, a badass and commanding Black woman, who has a soft spot for Kadou and his sister, Zeliha, as she’s known them since they were children and once saved Kadou’s life. She is also extremely Tired™ of everyone’s — especially Kadou, Evemer, and Tadek’s — sh*t. (Which, fair.)

So, to recap, A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is absolutely scream-into-your-pillow amazing, and I’m totally obsessed, and you will be too. I’m begging you to please read it ASAP and then write ALL the fanfiction because I need more of Evemer and Kadou being utterly ridiculous about each other injected directly into my veins immediately. (Rowland also told the Discord that they’ll be dropping some fic of their own, so keep a weather eye on Ao3 👀)

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a wonderfully written fantasy novel of political intrigue and slow burn courtly romance between a lord and his liege. The world-building, based upon the Ottoman Empire, never overwhelms the story, but instead is suggested with lush details of beautifully described clothing. (There is one description of a matelasse over-tunic that is exquisite.) Similarly the descriptions of romantic longing and ruminations on power dynamics help grant the characters a strong interior world. That being said in a novel reminiscent of Pacat’s Captive Prince Trilogy and a grown up version of Turner’s The Queen Thief series, in its sophistication, the love triangle seemed hardly necessary. I highly recommend this book and look forward to this author’s work in the future.

★★★★★

I was in a biiiiig reading slump before picking this up, having DNF'd four fantasy novels this year. I was worried maybe I just didn't like them anymore, and I was SO SO SO SO WRONG!!!!

A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON is perfect. I am SO TIRED of fantasy novels that have a whole world to make up and still choose to abide by norms and oppressive systems that we deal with in the real world. It's so refreshing to have a novel turn those on their head and create a world where being non-binary or gay or anything in between is unremarkable. This isn't a LGBTQ+ book--it's a beautiful fantasy that accurately portrays the wide spectrum of what a person can be.

The plot was interesting and enhanced by the many lovable characters and their relationships with one another, the pacing was on the slower side but appropriately so--I never felt like it was dragging and it provided an excellent slow burn romance. Truly: no notes. It's perfect. I'm shouting it from the rooftops and desperately hoping that someone comes out with a cool special edition that I can buy in addition to the copy I'll likely grab today.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor for letting me read and review this incredible book.

A queer fantasy with Ottoman Empire esthetics and fandom fave tropes. It’s the slowest of burns, with a romance between a prince and his loyal bodyguard, who don’t like each other at first, and then there’s Only One Bed.

Kadou is a prince, but he sometimes suffers from panic attacks. Though the language to describe them as we would today isn’t there. He feels he’s a coward who’s failing his sister, who’s the Sultan, and their people. I do like the relationship between the siblings who are still finding their way as Sultan and Prince instead of just brother and sister, though this is not a huge part of the plot.

Evemer is the very definition of stoic, and I do like that we eventually see his home life and his fellow guards comment on now understanding why he is the way he is. He’s appointed to serve Kadou after an incident with the father of the Sultan’s infant daughter, in which some of the guards are killed. Evemer does his duty, but still believes Kadou is at fault for their deaths. Kadou does as well, which causes further anxiety attacks. This is the core of the Big Misunderstanding between the two, who due to proximity begin to learn there’s more to the other than what they think they know.

I loved the normalized queer representation. From what I can tell (it’s not said outright), Kadou is gay, Evemer bisexual, and there’s also background queer characters, including an asexual character and several third gender characters. No one raises an eyebrow over any of this, though Kadou does talk about the potential to be married off to forge an alliance, and it could be a man or a woman, despite his preferences.

I’ve read the author intended this as a standalone story, yet the ending is very open for sequels. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, with that slow burn going from our heroes barely acknowledging attraction to instalove in the last third of the book. I didn’t feel like we saw them falling in love, but we were told it happened instead of seeing it build up from their POVs. Things end rather abruptly too, and I felt robbed that the Sultan didn’t learn about their relationship, because you know a big sister is going to have an opinion over her little brother’s love life, even if she wasn’t the Sultan. It felt more like “Happy for Now” instead of “Happily Ever After”.

I would read another book set in this world. Either a sequel or one with new characters in this setting would be worth a read. Hopefully, they’ll use the same cover artist, because this one was gorgeous and drew my attention before I read the summary.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently read and enjoyed Alexandra Rowland’s self-published Some By Virtue Fall, I was excited to dig into their latest release, a novel that, thanks to its lack of a full exploration of the synesthetic power of “touch-taste”, only meets the minimum definition of fantasy.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is more an alt-historical novel that leans heavily into the Turkish Empire for its inspiration. Rowland captures the scenery in vivid detail and meticulously describes the clothing and customs so readers can clearly imagine these elements of the story. That, however, also worked against the pacing much of the time. I’d have been happy with fewer embellishments and more characterization and building of the fantastical elements of the plot, which support the mystery that Kadou must solve.

What this novel does well is represent not only diversity among its characters but portrays anxiety (undiagnosed to fit the historical aspect) in a sympathetic and meaningful way. Kadou suffers panic attacks that leave him incapacitated, which, by his own definition, makes him weak and a coward. His inner voice berates him as useless, pointless, and at times he resorts to sex with a member of the royal guard, Tadek, in order to cope and recenter himself again. That is, until Kadou makes an error in judgment that causes his sister, the sultan, to assign him a personal guard to avoid exiling him.

Evermer is the quintessential bodyguard. He’s committed to His Highness by a deep sense of duty and loyalty to the sultan, but is less than respectful of Kadou thanks to rumors and misperceptions of Kadou’s character. As much as Kadou believes he’s weak, Evermer believes it even more, but of course his perspective changes as he gets to know and see who Kadou truly is. The switch is flipped with a lot of inner turmoil detailed for both men, thanks to their conflicting ranks. When their backs are against the wall—in both the literal and figurative sense—the story resorts to some familiar romantic tropes to offer them a handy escape from danger.

To put a fine point on all of this, A Taste of Gold and Iron seems to suffer from an identity crisis, and I feel the story could have been half as long and much better for it being more focused. While I did enjoy a few of the supporting characters who brought energy and personality to their scenes, I do think the touch-taste is not explored thoroughly enough for its fantasy category; it’s not technically a mystery since the antagonists are obvious from the start; and the romance between Kadou and Evermer relied a great deal on tropes and internal conflict rather than communication to evolve.

When I tell you this book was amazing, I mean this book was INCREDIBLE! Just pure beautiful perfection.

If the intricate world building and array of stunning characters aren’t enough to make this an absolute favorite of 2022, the story and the writing from the talented Alexandra Rowland will surely seal the deal.

This is a fantastical slow burn romance with a perfectly penned political system. The intricacies of this story had me completely submerged for DAYS, not wanting to miss a single moment.

There is intrigue, espionage, romance, humor and whit, and a really fantastic portrayal of mental health. Add to the the breaking down gender rolls and the absolute inclusivity of queerness, nonbinary and asexuality just made this book a treat to read.

Myth: 5/5

A story of dangerous court politics, fealty, responsibility and love, A Taste of Gold and Iron holds so many complex and interwoven emotions and feelings. The characters of Kadou and Evemer both dive right in the heart of all of them. This is a story of intense self-reflection and inner dialogue, and the anxiety representation for Kadou was one of the best I’ve read. Even Evemer, the stoic, restrained guard deals with a heavy dose of social anxiety and the space that he takes up.

If that wasn’t enough, add in some political intrigue, investigations that end in more than one romance trope and a delightful cast of characters.

Magic: 4/5

I would say that the magic in this world is secondary. The only real magic discussed is a touch-taste of metals. Definitely interesting, and definitely integral to the story and romance, but consider them additive, not the main feature.

Overall: 5/5

At chapter two, I’d say I was hooked, from there on, this book was emotionally unputdownable. It wasn’t a ‘keep you on the edge of your seat,’ action story, but the mental turmoil and emotional insights were so captivating! I highly recommend.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is the story of Prince Kadou and his bodyguard Evemer as they seek to both redeem Kadou and solve the mystery of a break-in at a guild within his sister’s great city. Along the way romance and even more mystery will ensue. Along with a reading slump for me because this book was so good I couldn’t function properly for a day or two afterwards.

Prince Kadou is the brother to the queen of a country that highly prizes honesty and trust in all things. From their elite guard units, to how they treat the people and to the currency of the land. This trusting nature to the world and drive to find and honor trust bleeds into the story itself, lending this an almost cozy feel. You know there are stakes, and they’re very important. You feel the tension and the need to solve the mystery. Yet, you also have this amazing feeling to the story. All long the way you have the slow burn romance between Kadou and Evemer that was simply incredible.

One of the biggest things to know going into this is that Kadou suffers from what I would view as a full on Anxiety disorder. He has attacks throughout the novel and we follow his mind as he can sometimes spiral out into anxious thoughts. In this world they don’t seem to have a word for this, instead he sees it as proof he is a coward, when all his other actions show him as otherwise. Because of that I loved the journey we take with Evemer - appointed to him after an unfortunate altercation at the beginning of the novel left two of Evemer’s fell guards dead and the blame at Kadou’s feet. We watch the two’s relationship unfold slowly as each learns to understand, take care of, and truly see the other. Evemer enters into his service with the lowest of opinions of Kadou, based solely on the rumors and scant information of that event. The journey from that mindset to the end? Amazing.

The other characters in this story are just as great, though the cast keeps itself relatively small. My favorite by far was Tadou, who I would die for. I can say that as someone who despised him early in the book. By the end I loved him and related to him so much. Kadou’s sister was also so interesting, and I’d love to see where her story goes and how her life unfolds.

One other fact of note about this book is the queer normative world. There are multiple genders, something I adored, with multiple different pronouns in use. Queer relationships were also open and welcomed in every way, characters talking freely (if they wanted to) about their feelings and ‘friends’ we’ll say. There were several characters, such as Melek, who I would love to see more of for that reason as well!

My only real complaints with this book were a few pacing stumbles and one or two places where I felt the suspension of disbelief was a bit much, just in outcomes (if X knew where Y was why didn’t X just move on it, that sort of thing). Otherwise I adored this enough that I don’t much care. If you enjoy slow burn political romance this is your book. Pick it up, I beg you.

5 Iron nails out of 5

I typically don't read the synopsis of a book before deep diving into it. You could call that a character flaw but I like to think of it as living a bit of the edge. I went into this book knowing that it was a bodyguard romance in a fantasy setting and that was enough to get me hooked. This book has all the tropes I love: bodyguard romance, slow-burn romance, dislike-to-love, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, some hurt/comfort and big action scenes.

The first couple chapters felt a bit clunky to me and took a bit of time to wrap my mind around. That comes with the territory though since the setting of this story is a fantastical inspiration of the Ottoman Empire. You meet a lot of the major characters and learn their relationships right away. I quite enjoyed most of the main gang in this story. The side characters are quite fun and the author did a wonderful job of integrating the Ottoman/Turkish culture.

Kadou and his sister Zeliha were a great flip on a brother-and-sister royal relationship. Zeliha is a badass Sultan and cool to the touch. Kadou on the other hand is typically anxious but big-hearted and loyal. The way they loved each other but still had their petty sibling fights felt so real to me. Stories with big slow burn romances often disregard familial and platonic relationships and this author did not do that at all. The romantic lead Evemer also was so fleshed out and the bodyguard/prince power dynamic between him and Kadou is discussed and balanced out as the story progresses. It was exciting and still managed to make me feel really excited to see them finally give in and get together. Similarly, Tadek was a great side character! He was so damn funny and I'm so glad that any feelings between him and Kadou were handled with such care and it allowed him to become a part of this group of royal messes. There are more characters I could go on about but I'll leave readers to find out themselves. The characters that are definitely crusty you will see coming from a mile away and will feel prepared when things inevitably take a turn for the worse. Like a lot of fantasy reads there are bumps in the pacing here and there, but I found that because I was so interested in just figuring out how each character would handle a situation, it didn't even matter to me in the whole.

I knocked off a star from this rating particularly because I felt the ending was a bit rushed and wrapped up in a way that left me wondering if this is a standalone novel or there will be a follow-up. It feels like there needs to be more on what happens to Kadou and Evemer, Zeliha and the empire.

Overall, this was a fantastic read by Alexandra Rowland with so many tropes that I love and I am so happy that I got to read it.

Thank you so much to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Taste of Gold and Iron will be published tomorrow on August 30, 2022!

There are some people who love tons of intricate worldbuilding and heavy plot in their fantasy. There are others that don't need that if the characters and relationships are well done and I'm one of the latter. Of course there are books where all of that is woven together and balanced perfectly, but for me, as long as the relationships and character growth are done well I don't really need a ton of plot.

Such is the case with A Taste of Gold and Iron which takes place in a fantasy world that is, in my understanding, based on the Ottoman Empire. This is a queer romance within a fantasy world and the romance takes stage front and center, the world unfolding around it. Kadou is the prince of Arasht, who, after a humiliating and deadly altercation with the body-father of his sister, the queen's newborn daughter, must team up with his new bodyguard, the stoic by the rules Evemer, to prove his loyalty.

There is a side plot here involving an investigation into counterfeit money (which is a clever way to integrate some of the magic system in this world because some people can "taste" different metals through touch although that isn't super developed), however to say this isn't super developed is an understatement. The entire plot exists to bring Kadou and Evemer together through all our favorite tropes: forced proximity, oh no one of them is injured, there's only one bed and looks like we have to kiss to distract everyone!

The character development here is where the book shines. Kadou sees himself as a failure and his battle with anxiety in this book is so well done. Kadou lacks the terminology to label what happens to him when he has panic attacks and instead conflates them with cowardice. It is extremely lovely to watch him grapple with this part of himself. Evemer is stoic and rule following almost to a fault but Kadou gradually gets him to open up and once they finally let themselves get vulnerable with each other, the sparks really fly. My heart was melting the entire time.

This book ends rather abruptly and I'm curious if this is a standalone or if we will get more? I think there could be some really cool stories from this world which has a lot of potential.

If you like character driven fantasy romances then I would absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you so much to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Literally my favourite book of the year. I adored sweet Kadou and the lush cast of characters. I picked this up and read it in our setting. Can not recommend enough.

I got this book for free from Netgalley for the purpose of giving an honest review.
If I were to judge this book in a vacuum, it is very well written, and potentially the best book I've read this year. But I cannot view this book in a vacuum, because we all carry biases into everything we read. As I examine this book, try to understand that this review is coming from a place of constructive critique.
A word of caution: While I do read and review a lot of books, I rarely review romance stories and never review m/m romances. This is my first m/m romance. I am unfamiliar with genre expectations for this subgenre, so my critique will doubtless be misinformed and ignorant. I'll do my best, and critique in good faith.
Spoilers Below! You've been warned.
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WHAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? WHAT GENRES? WHAT MAJOR TROPES?
• Gay male romance
• Light mystery story
• Light politics story
• Minimal magic system
• Ottoman Turkish setting
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IF YOU ARE IN THE TARGET AUDIENCE, OR THE GENRES/TROPES SOUND INTERESTING TO YOU, SHOULD YOU READ THIS?
Yes.
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MY EMOTIONAL RESPONSE/FUN FACTOR
I honestly have difficulty with reviews like this one. I, as a reader, am simply not this book’s target audience. This book is well written prose style-wise, with an innovative character who is dealing with crippling generalized anxiety. I liked these aspects of this book.
It contains a m/m romance which romance readers will probably like reading. However, I am not the sort of person who reads romance books.
Further, the setting. I know a fair deal about the Ottoman Empire. One of the main reasons I picked this book up was because of the setting. Unfortunately, I personally found that setting underutilized. Someone who is not as familiar with that setting as I am will probably have a better time.
As a result of my pre-existing biases, I didn’t love this book.
If you like m/m romances, you'll probably like this. If you're like me and don't like romances, it will be okay to skip this one. If I'm being objective and ignore the fact that I don't like romances, this is an average/above average book.
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CONCEPT AND EXECUTION
This book's concept is: "A gay prince with a generalized anxiety disorder is under suspicion of trying to undermine the rule of his sister, the sultan. To reassure her of his loyalty, he volunteers to use his metal magic to sleuth out the villains behind a counterfeiting crisis. Helping him is his stoic bodyguard. Gay tension ensues."
For execution, you need to go in with proper expectations.
• If you want to read a book about a counterfeiting crisis, this isn't really that.
• If you want to read about two gay dudes smoldering at one another for 500 pages, you will not be disappointed.
The book's heart is the relationship between the two leads, while everything else (the monetary crisis, the sultan's suspicion), is built to support the relationship. On a page-by-page level, this book was a pleasant reading experience. I can remember no single storybeat which I felt was poorly handled. This book was an overall pleasant experience. I don't like it when I take a step back and look at it from the big picture.
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CHARACTERS, CHARACTERIZATION AND DIALOG
Here's the good and the bad.
The good is Kadou. He had the interesting trait of possessing some form of generalized anxiety disorder. I've never read a book starring someone with this trait; it was a great read. I liked how Kadou shut down after moments of crisis. It was unique for the genre, and I like reading distinct characters.
Now for some stuff I didn't like as much.
Kadou's anxiety disorder had a Hurt/Comfort vibe to it at times (at least in my opinion). There is nothing innately problematic about using this trope. Indeed, as a functional tool for a writer, I've seen it used elsewhere to great effect. However, I don't like this trope on general principle. I find that it can be emotionally manipulative. Personal preference doesn't mean you have to agree with me.
I wanted more from Kadou and Evemer. What are their hobbies? Where are their home towns? What are their favorite foods? What were they doing before the events of the story? What are their allergies? I wanted to know more details than we got. I wanted a more complete picture of them.
I felt Evemer in particular was a smidge 2D. Evemer was a bit of a stoic blank slate, being the strong supporting character to the soft and sweet Kadou. Kadou was better in this regard, having both moments of badassery conflicted against moments of helplessness. Evemer needed a bit more emotional range.
Finally, I feel this book relied too heavily on the romantic fretting trope. The two protagonists would get close together, their relationship would develop in a tender direction, then there'd be a misunderstanding between the two of them, culminating in the two of them falling apart again. Like the Hurt/Comfort thing, using this trope only once is fine; using it multiple times felt frustrating.
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PLOT, STAKES AND TENSION
Like I said above, this book isn't about the plot. It's all about the relationship.
When the characters would go off on a storybeat to investigate some evidence in the mystery story, inevitably the story beat would resolve in furthering the relationship. As an example, early on when the characters were waylaid by brigands while searching for a battering ram. They fought the brigands off, resulting in an emotional crisis by the lead characters, causing them to become closer together emotionally.
This sort of thing is really good storytelling. A good author builds a relationship slowly over the course of the plot, braiding together the non-romance storyline in with the romance storyline in a holistic sort of way, strengthening both in the process. My complements to the author for successfully using this interlinking story structure. A lot of authors neglect this sort of thing, so I appreciate it when I see it. I think this might be the strongest aspect of the book's storytelling.
Stakes and tension wise, I feel like the story was a bit of a tease. The narrative kept the 'will they/won't they' vibe going on for too long. After a certain point I was going "FFS, just bang already, this is getting trite. Get back to the counterfeiting plot." I wound up skimming towards the middle when I got frustrated. On the bright side, the end was a lot faster paced and I enjoyed reading it.
I was personally more interested in the counterfeiting story than the romance story. But, again, I don't read romance, so it's no wonder I wasn't really a fan of this.
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AUTHORIAL VOICE (TONE, PROSE AND THEME)
I found this book's prose style to be more embellished than your average adventure fantasy/high fantasy/grimdark fantasy. I think this is a good thing; I like reading pretty words. At least once or twice a chapter, I was left taken aback with beautiful wordpictures the author created. Again, my complements to the author.
This book was Romantic in tone, focusing on the beauty of different features of the world... usually the people, but also the environment. The two protagonists were so obviously in love from the start, they were practically tripping over one another, and you could tell that was the case just based off the adjectives they gave one another.
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SETTING, WORLDBUILDING AND ORIGINALITY
‘A Taste of Gold and Iron’ is a m/m romance. I personally feel that this book doesn't punch down at the queer community. That's great! Based on the heteronormative relationship between the two protagonists (effeminate Kadou coupled with masculine Evemer), I think this book was written primarily for the straight female audience. Nonetheless, I think a queer audience would enjoy it as well. But I might be wrong, as stated I’m ignorant. I'm willing to give this book the benefit of the doubt on this one, it seemed fine.
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This setting was based off of an Ottoman Turkish setting, and I love reading alternate history style fantasy stories based upon history. I got hyped for this setting because I'm a nerd who reads history books about Ottoman history. That's why I picked this up. Now having read the book, I feel that the setting was underutilized.
Now, credit where it's due, the story did have some Ottoman-ish details. Here are the ones I noticed:
• The clothing
• coffee
• praying stances
• a sultanate
• calligraphy
• a not-super-deep take on the Janissary system
• And, of course, the Turkish names and words
Using these tropes is a valid way to portray a setting. After reading this I was left wanting more, because I personally thought these tropes were very surface-level. Thinking of Ottoman fantasy, I have expectations of what hallmark tropes will be used. They are:
• Djinn.
• Sufi mystics.
• The twilight of Rome's glory.
• High-seas piracy a la the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies.
• Harem politics between warring factions of concubines struggling to put their son on the Khalif's throne and to kill their rival concubines' sons before they become Khalif.
• Proto-firearms and proto-cannons, of the original Gunpowder Empires.
• The Janissary system being an institutionalized slaving system.
• A highly religiously diverse yet tolerant empire compared to others at the time. (The Spanish Inquisition was contemporaneous, as an example.)
This book felt like it had a surface level Turkish setting, as opposed to getting down into the ugly but beautiful details of what that civilization was actually like. I will admit my hallmark tropes listed above are obscure details to a Western audience, however what's the point of writing a historically based novel if you're not going to dip into the obscura?
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SUMMARY
Not all books are for all people. I didn't like this, but I'm not this book's target. If you are a fan of the m/m romance subgenre, chances are you'll like this.
If I'm being purely objective and discount the fact that I don't generally like romances and I ignore the whole Ottoman thing, this is an average/above average book
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