If you've been waiting to sink your teeth into a well-built fantasy world with complex politics, great characters, and a slow building but engrossing plot, this is your book! Right from the start I was snared by Prince Kadou, chronically anxious and bound by his fears, he struggles every day to do what's best for his people, often at the cost of his own well being. At his side are his faithful kahyalar, who have sworn to care for and protect him. But it's his newest kahya, Evemer, who upends Kadou's already precarious world. Evemer is terse, dedicated to his duty, and not a fan of his messy charge. But their rough start yields to growing respect and a partnership that can withstand the most devious scheming.

Kadou and Evemer - as well as the supporting characters - got me immersed and invested in the intricate plot of forgeries, political intrigue, and betrayal. The more I read, the more fascinated I became with this world and its people. It was a nice mental holiday to visit a place without homophobia or transphobia, and with equal rights for all genders. Emotionally rich, beautifully written, drenched in longing, and an absolute delight, A Taste of Gold and Iron is going on my list of favorites.

After a tragic misunderstanding, Kadou must prove his loyalty to his sultan by solving a mystery that could bring down their empire in A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland.

Kadou is an anxious mess of a character. Prone to near-violent panic attacks, Kadou’s anxiety manifests itself over everything big and small that could become a problem to his dynasty and, most importantly, his sister. It’s his devotion to her that leads him to the tragic misunderstanding that kickstarts the book’s plot, with his character arc revolving around him learning to co-exist with his anxiety. As a character, he’s immediately loveable, if only for his fierce loyalty to his friends and family and the idea of doing good by his people. While his relationships with those around him add another level of complexity to his character, and the book as a whole.

His relationship with Evemer dominates that aspect of the book as they go from a people that barely tolerate each other to lovers through serious adventures as well as amusing hijinks. Rowland adds more popular romance tropes, making the whole of their relationship a wonderful read.

Alexandra Rowland does a commendable job portraying the crippling anxiety that leads to panic attacks, from the little stressers that add to the burden during the day to the event that breaks the damn. She doesn’t sugarcoat the effects this has on Kadou’s mentality, nor does she diminish how serious this condition is in the eyes of other characters. While a tough read because of this, A Taste of Gold and Iron is ultimately uplifting as Kadou learns to work through this without being magically cured.

While the book is mainly a romance, the world of A Taste of Gold and Iron is infused with a subtle magic system that intrigued me. The main aspects broached here are touch sensitivity, where touching an object conjures a specific feeling and/or memory, and being able to tell whether a person is lying with a glance. Unfortunately these aren’t expanded upon, being used only when the plot calls for them.

Economics and politics are also amongst the subjects that keep popping up throughout the book. The gold exchange is the foundation of the empire, while economics are a passion for Kadou and politics rule his life. Rowland does a lovely job integrating these aspects into the story without boring her readers too much; I found it especially entertaining when Evemer was close to zoning out during Kadou’s explanations as it’s very retable, as a less economically-minded person.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is also full of LGBTQ+ representation of all kinds that is openly accepted by the world Rowland has built. Kadou is gay, Evemer and Tadek are queer, there are a number of non-binary characters that use a separate set of pronouns throughout both secondary and background characters, while Melek is also asexual. I’d go as far as to say that the lack of homophobia and conflicts due to sexuality was one of my favourite things about this book.

Overall A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland tells a heart-warming tale about a prince who must learn to let himself relax every so often with the help of those around him, while trying to win a frustratingly rule-abiding bodyguard to his side. The romance pairs well with this mystery plot, with Rowland’s diverse LGBTQ+ representation making her world a heart-warming scenery to experience.

This story was a beautiful queer fantasy romance, emphasis on the romance that pulled me in completely from start to finish. I seriously could not stop reading and stayed up way too late trying to finish this.

Like some other recent TOR titles, this definitely has an emphasis on romance, although it still presented a unique fantasy world with political intrigue and a central mystery.

Kadou was an incredible main character, and his mental health journey was so well written and beautiful to follow. In that way it really reminded me of Jainan’s journey in Winter’s Orbit, and I was really rooting for him. Evemer, disciplined solid and somewhat judgmental was a perfect contrast.

This is adult, but it’s extremely slow burn, so keep that in mind. The emphasis is truly on the relationship and the meeting of two minds (although there are some moments), and I was so enthralled by these two.

Can’t wait to read more from this author

A beautifully written and enriching queer fantasy. The intrigue and world building is fantastic! I recommend this highly!

In Arast, the weight of a coin could mean the difference between war and peace. And for a prince and his bodyguard, it could mean the difference between life and death. For the quiet and dutiful Prince Kadou, court politics is something managed by others who have more interest. His sister, the Sultan, has recently given birth and Kadou is happy to play the doting uncle and to stay out of the spotlight. But when an incident on a hunt leads to death and embarrassment for the Sultan, Kadou finds himself struggling to avoid exile and to manage his sister’s wrath.

As part of his punishment, Kadou is assigned a new bodyguard, a dutiful but distant man called Evemer. Initially, Evemer sees little to recommend his charge — after all, men are dead because of Kadou’s actions. Then Evemer begins to see another side to Kadou, who suffers in silence from crippling anxiety and bears the awful weight of his every decision. As Evemer and Kadou navigate their new circumstances, they must also unravel a mystery involving counterfeit coins and a court betrayal. Before it is done, two men will risk everything to save the country they love and to save one another.

A Taste of Gold and Iron was a beautiful read with a pair of engaging main characters and strong world building that held my interest from beginning to end.

It’s rare to find a book where both protagonists read as truly balanced. One seems to always have more weight than the other, but with A Taste of Gold and Iron, Kadou and Evemer feel vibrant, believable, and equal in both their strengths and weakness. Kadou’s self loathing and his struggle with anxiety are rendered with such realism it was easy as a reader to empathize with and champion him. Just as compelling was Evemer’s sense of duty and loyalty, which evolve from something stiff and formal to a very real devotion and love for Kadou. These characters work well together and they’re the primary reason the book works and works on multiple levels. There are strong secondary characters as well, and one in particular assists in creating an engaging court life that builds out the world of A Taste of Gold and Iron until it reads as lusciously and vibrantly chaotic.

The only downside to the book is a slightly uneven plot. The basic storyline makes sense and works, but the reasons behind the whole counterfeiting ring and how the reveal plays are out are wobbly. It just reads as a stretch that an entire conspiracy was roiling below the surface given the structure of the Court and the extent of its reach. It didn’t overly detract from my reading. Rather, I just found myself questioning some of the plot points and whether or not they were actually supported.

I throughly enjoyed A Taste of Gold and Iron. The characters strong and well rounded. The romance that develops is a slow burning one that makes sense in the context of the wider action. The plot doesn’t always hold up to scrutiny, but it isn’t so off the wall as to be distracting either. Any fan of fantasies with solid world building and engaging characters will likely enjoy this one.

This should have been a great fit for me - fantasy world with political intrigue, and a queer central romance? Perfection.

Unfortunately, I got neither fantasy, intrigue, or romance.

I’m going to do bullet points for a few of my criticisms because I have a headache now.

World building and plot

• There was a distinct lack of actual world building going on. This tried for the ‘chuck the reader in’ route, but it went too hard. I had no idea what was going on for a while, because there were names, countries, cities, concepts, etc. I had no context. It was meaningless noise for a long time, and I think the counterfeiting plot was introduced on like page one?

• The political intrigue I’d expected was painfully simplistic. The villain was absurdly transparent. I am a total dingdong when it comes to mystery plots, and this was obvious from the first time they’re introduced.

• The mystery plot got lost constantly, to the point that I didn’t understand what or why was happening. The break-in? I actually still don’t know what that was about.

• The end of the book, like the last 30%, was kind of a disaster. It made little to no sense. A lot of it was taken up by dithering about feelings (unsupported) and not talking.

• On the romance front, I don’t even consider this a slow burn, because there was no burn. It goes from nothing to instalust to dithering to instalove.

Characters

• There were a lot of secondary characters and I got them all mixed up.

• Kadou I never warmed to. He was, quite frankly, a total disaster. I can sympathize with the anxiety struggles, but oh my god he was useless on the political/planning/thinking front. How is he a royal prince with that total lack of brain?

• Evemer is just kind of a block. He spends most of his time being judgey, and then denying feelings to himself. …hm yes.

• Tadek started off decent, and descended into a caricature of himself. He ended up being wildly childish and immature.

Other

• This was, overall, meandering and extremely slow to go absolutely nowhere. Lots of digressions on random topics that didn’t serve to improve the characters, my understanding of them, their relationships, or even the world. They were just random info dumps.

• This also ruined action scenes - what should have been a tense fight scene got dragged into some distant-feeling academic process of fighting forms.

• There were pages upon pages of these “oaths of fealty” which I guess if that’s what you like, then you’re in luck. I was bored to tears.

• There were also random pages of ethics and currency and babbys first economics lectures.

The positive

The truth telling witch, Tenzin. She was cool.

“Nope,” she said. “And I don’t really care.”


“I’m getting paid as we speak,” she said with a grin, slouching down into her chair and crossing her arms. “I’m getting paid in chaos.”


And yes, I am aware she was around for like five pages total.

Overall, this had an inordinate number of pages for the amount of actual content. I really thought I’d love this - the concept sounded so good! - but it was a real disappointment. I hope it works better for other people.

Slow-burn romantasy? Slow-burn queer romantasy? Slow-burn queer romantasy set in a diverse and intricate world? Yes! Yes! A thousand times YES! A Taste of Gold and Iron is an almost lyrical, political tale of a prince and his right-hand man dealing with a counterfeiting scandal that could cost their kingdom everything while fighting some *ahem* feelings...

Now, while I did enjoy this book, and I find myself thinking about it randomly sometimes, I have to admit that the first 25% was a tad difficult to get through. It's very dry in terms of worldbuilding, language, politics, and writing style, so it took a bit for my brain to truly get sucked into the atmosphere of the setting. But after that first 25%, there's more action and things just start to flow better.

The two main characters of the story, Kadou and Evemer, are very different. Kadou is a prince wracked with anxiety about his kingdom, while Evemer is a no-nonsense bodyguard/advisor who gets assigned to the human disaster that is Kadou. I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of bodyguard romances, and with this story, Evemer's role is a little more servant-like at times, which was even worse, in my opinion (totally just a personal preference). However, I could look past that dynamic as the story progressed. In fact, I started loving the power dynamic the two had once things started heating up between them. Evemer would do anything for his liege, and I loved reading about his internal struggles. Though, at times, it felt like Kadou didn't quite reciprocate, even when things started going strong between them. Honestly, there really needs to be a sequel just to establish more relationship between these two characters.

As for the plot of the story, there were quite a few surprising twists and turns throughout the middle chunk. But the plot definitely suffered towards the end with a pretty anticlimactic and predictable reveal over who was causing the counterfeiting kerfuffle. This anticlimactic ending also caused a lot of rushing. The author had spent so much time setting up the world and the characters, only to try to squeeze too much in during the final 10%. I was left thinking "That's it?" when the last page was turned. It simply felt unfinished, which hopefully means there will be a sequel, but Goodreads isn't telling if that's the case.

All in all, this book could've easily been four stars if not for the rushed ending. However, credit where credit is due, because I cannot stop thinking about Evemer and Kadou. They really stuck with me. So I could see A Taste of Gold and Iron being a hit with some fantasy romance readers, though I do expect that others will find the political elements too much for them. I'd say this one is less for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout than for fans of Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit, Foz Meadows's A Strange & Stubborn Endurance, or even S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad books. And if you like both of those styles, then I would say you should definitely add Kadou and Evemer's story to your TBR!

3.5 stars

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Rowland certainly has a way with crafting fleshed out worlds! I was enraptured from the very beginning. A Taste of Gold and Iron follows the shy, anxiety-ridden prince Kadou through political intrigue and fraught personal danger along with his quickly indispensable new bodyguard, Evemer.

Their relationship is very sweet and compelling; watching Evemer learn how to deal with Kadou's anxiety was particularly interesting. I don't think I've ever read another romance where the portrayal was anxiety was so realistic. It felt very visceral at times, when Kadou was having an "attack". The side characters, particularly Tadek, were also lovely and charming. I read this entire book in a single day - it was just impossible to put down!

I was a bit leery of this story since I wasn't a big fan of the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised.

This was a fun ride with two likeable main characters and a great political mystery at its center to keep it moving. I appreciated the gravity Kadou's anxiety disorder was treated with, but I also appreciated Evemer's highly judgmental and negative view of it, since it gave him room to grow and understand. I also liked that Kadou's anxiety was consistently present throughout the story and didn't just magically go away when the mystery was solved and he decided to stay with Evemer; if there's one thing I absolutely can't stand, it's treating neurodivergence (and disability in general) as a convenient plot device that will go away when it's fulfilled its initial purpose. I struggle with anxiety myself, and while mine isn't as severe as Kadou's, it still felt nice to be seen and understood like this, so big props to the author for that.

I felt that while the mystery at the story's center was strong, I also was not overly impressed by how it resolved. I was thinking that Siranos's family backstory would play a larger role in explaining his motives and possibly making him slightly more sympathetic, but it didn't, and the result was that he felt a little unfinished as a character, which was disappointing to me since I think a story is really only as strong as its antagonist (or antagonistic force). It was also never made explicitly clear if Siranos was trying to kill Kadou during the hunt that kicked off the rest of the story, and I felt more should have been done to address that and bring Kadou fully back into his sister's good graces. The entire set of mistakes that led to Kadou's disgrace felt a little brushed off, in fact, Zeliha apologized, but there wasn't really a tangible feeling of reparation, forgiveness, promises to do better, etc. to speak of. I thought Kadou deserved better from his sister after everything he went through.

The world was unique and wonderful; I had a good sense of place and world, and the magic of the truthseers/satyota and the touch-tasting were great little sparkles that made the world feel unique and mysterious without being over the top ridiculous powers. I felt that a little more time could have been spent on explaining how the magic works or how its origin is explained in-universe, but as magic was far from the main focus of the story, this is a minor complaint. I love seeing fantasy worlds that aren't your garden-variety medieval Europe knockoffs, so hats off for the beautiful Turkish/Middle-Eastern feel of the setting!

Lastly, I appreciated the way Tadek's character was treated. I loved all of the romance in the story, actually, mostly because I really appreciated Kadou's struggle with power dynamics in all of them. I felt for him and I appreciated his commitment to never exploiting or taking advantage of his partners, and working to do better when he realizes that he's put them in a compromising position. Tadek wasn't vilified for being promiscuous or for being physical with Kadou without loving him romantically, and his feelings were treated with respect and gravity when Kadou made the decision to break things off with him. I liked that he was still hurt, if not heartbroken, since it showed depth of emotion and character. And Evemer's struggle with finding a leader worthy of serving tied in so neatly with his relationship and eventual romance with Kadou, the careful understanding that blossoms between them, and Kadou's own fears about abusing his power. Just a beautiful job with tying together plot, character, world, and theme!

I can't wait to see more from this author, and I'm quietly hoping we'll get to see more of Kadou and Evemer!

Why is my new favorite thing for one romantic interest to say to another is: “I got you this door.”? Because I am absolutely wrecked, Kadou and Evemer can do no wrong.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is the queer fantasy I didn’t know I was looking for. It is a perfect blend of a romance and character growth with the necessary background plot added to really flesh out the world building.

It is truly top notch to see a lot of my favorite book tropes come together so eloquently: forced proximity, bodyguard, and a sweet love story between two people who deserve happiness. I could honestly rave about how much I loved this book.

This book really sets the standards high for a character driven fantasy story. Some books that are written like this rely so much on character that the books moves very slow and can become tedious. However, this one does not suffer from it at all. It’s not a short book but I devoured it in a few days because I was so submerged with the characters (I might forever have a crush on Tadek and I can’t wait to see what he has in the future).

I loved the matriarchal society that this book is built on. It’s fascinating that women can have children with whomever they want and can choose to claim the fathers. There are called “body fathers” which mean they are the biological father. Women essentially get to choose and they are held in a very high regard. This alone is such a breath of fresh air, especially considering our current political climate.

I loved the budding relationship between Kaduo and Evemer. It was sweet, passionate, and everything I didn’t know I needed from a queer romance. I will be singing this books praises to literally anyone who will listen. This book was outstanding and I can’t wait to see its eventual success when it gets published. A Touch of Gold and Iron is one of the easiest five stars I will give this year.

A little slow to start but once it got going the two men are easy to like and root for. It’s a bit silly and there’s are several romance tropes to be found but it’s sufficiently sweet and charming for those to be forgivable. I don’t think it’s the book for everyone but for any reader that likes fantasy and likes romance this is a fine choice. Not super explicit if that would bothers you but steamy. It wraps up well but I can see the author doing a book two.

Where do I even start? I am overwhelmed with how much I enjoyed this book. The story, the characters, the **YEARNING**, my goodness me. After two months of very slump-y reading, I sat down and devoured this book in a single sitting. It had everything I want in a book - prince/bodyguard romance, queer found family, and the slowest of burns.

Rowland's writing is excellent and so easily digestible. The story is fast paced with an intriguing plot and underlying conspiracy that absolutely hooks you. I also loved this queer friendly world and the gorgeous descriptions of the beautiful settings and clothing. The characters are all so much fun and the witty banter made me smile. Eozena is an absolute badass and my favorite, if you absolutely had to force me to choose a favorite. And then we get to the tension and Feelings (yes, capital F) between Kadou and Evemer? I. Am. Not. Okay. The breadth of their feelings is so much, Kadou's anxiety so relatable, and Evemer's internal struggle with his duty, his preconceived notions, his steadily and rapidly growing love for Kadou.. My heart aches and I have the worst of book hangovers. I can't wait to revisit this again when it is published!

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers ahead!

A bookstagrammer I follow wrote a glowing review for this book, so I of course came here straight away to request an arc and I'm so glad I did! I really, really enjoyed this book.

First off, the world-building. I found it fascinating, especially the matriarchal social structure. It was such a pleasant surprise and change of pace from other historical, fantasy novels. The entire kahyalar system and how they functioned in society was also quite interesting, and I like that we got to see the world from one of their POVs. The magic system was very different from anything I've read before, but it was so well integrated with the non-magic aspect that it was easy at times to forget about it entirely. I'm not someone who likes super intricate magical systems because I tend to find them confusing and hard to keep straight, so this to me was a plus.

Next, the characters. There wasn't a single character I disliked in this book, other than the ones you're supposed to dislike. Dual POV is a hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed being able to see into both Kadou and Evemer's mind. They were both such great characters, and I enjoyed watching their progress throughout the book. Though Kadou's anxiety was obviously not cured, he grew so much in confidence in his capabilities from the beginning of the book and I appreciate how Evemer was quick to point that out and disagree when Kadou referred to himself as a coward once again toward the end. Evemer also made quite a lot of progress, from a rigid, stubborn kahyar to a someone who's a little more understanding and willing to bend when necessary. I loved getting to see them grow from the other person's perspective. Their relationship was so sweet and respectful I couldn't help but root for them almost right from the beginning.

I also absolutely loved the side characters. From Zeliha to Tadek to Evemer's mother, they all felt very well fleshed out and I was so, so relieved none of them died. I particularly enjoyed Tadek and would happily read a book about him.

Next, the mystery aspect. This is where the book fell just a bit flat in my opinion. It seemed obvious to me pretty much immediately what was going on and who was involved, and I was right. Granted, I think Evemer and Kadou's developing relationship was supposed to be the main focus of the book, so maybe the mystery was never actually supposed to be much of a mystery. Still, I would have liked if it had been a little less obvious. However, I did really like that the mystery was about counterfeiting rather than murder, which I feel like is the norm for books like this.

Finally, the ending. On the one hand, it felt a bit abrupt. On the other, what still needed to be wrapped up would probably require a whole other book (hopefully!), so I understand why it ended the way it did. I was satisfied, even if I did also want more.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I absolutely recommend it!

The worldbuilding for this novel was excellent and I liked the slow burn aspect, although I see others didn't. My main issue was the abrupt ending. There still seemed like there was a lot of be resolved both on the politics side and for the relationship of the main characters. If another book is planned, then that's understandable, but I felt like that was the end and I wanted more.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a beautiful book. The romance, friendships and familial relationships are wonderful and I loved the slow development of the romance. I also appreciated the way Kadou's anxiety was depicted in the novel. I only wish there was an epilogue.

"A Taste of Gold and Iron" is a meandering, sparkling romance with a light mystery attached, but it's primary focus is on character and relationships. This isn't a bad thing; the plot that's there is weak, with worldbuilding that's initially fascinating but could use a little more detail. That said, if you're here for characters, nuances in relationship, and romance, you'll find a lot to enjoy here. Kadou is a prince, beleaguered by a spiralling anxiety disorder. Evermer has recently been appointed his bodyguard, and instantly dislikes him. As mysteries pile up on top of one another, romance blossoms.

I really enjoyed a great deal of this book - I was in here for a fantasy-tinged romance, and this book more than provided. I particularly enjoyed that the book avoided a certain trope regarding Kadou's ex; I wound up liking that character far more than I had anticipated.

This book, however, is LONG - over 500 pages - and with a secondary antagonist introduced at the last minute, entirely too long. Honestly, the last "surprise!! villain!" plot could have been cut entirely, and the novel would have been satisfying.

Still, I enjoyed this one for what it was, and happily rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this one!

A Taste of Gold and Iron was my most-anticipated book of the year. Look at that cover! The description! A+++

Unfortunately, I might have hyped it up a bit too much in my mind. I wanted to love it, but I'm not the biggest fan of narratives from multiple POVs (especially when they're in the same location and 80% of the time communicating with each other) and I personally think it lost a lot of the political intrigue / will-they-won't-they back and forth by showing us the POV of both main characters. If you're also not a fan of multiple POVs maybe skip this one.

I think it also suffered from comparisons online (tumblr specifically) to the Captive Prince trilogy. If you're looking for a story with a lot of detailed political intrigue this also isn't the book for you. The mystery is a plot device to get the characters together for the most part.

What I did enjoy - Kadou was adorable and occasionally a bad-ass, the concept of a world where the characters can taste metal purity is really interesting and a fantastic set up for a mystery based on coin forgery, and there were some tropes I really love (bed sharing! fake marriage!)

Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron was everything I was expecting and more. The romance doesn't pick up until about half way through, but there's so much yearning and slow realization that I couldn't put the book down. It's a fantasy romance with plenty of political intrigue, some great doses of humor as well as suspense and action. I loved the honesty from both of these main characters as well as the inclusiveness of the world Rowland has created.

It's a beatifically engrossing tale with enemies-to-lovers, a slow burn, and damn, was my man Evemer poetic and romantic (*happy sigh*). The ending was a little abrupt for my taste, and it felt a little unfinished (like perhaps there should be another book (which I would totally be game for!)).

Other than that, I absolutely loved this world, and I'm placing Rowland on my must-buy list.

4.5 stars!

This may have been a me thing instead of a book thing, but whatever it was, this book was a very slow read. The writing style was just not for me.

The world building was sort of confusing and to be honest, I really did not like one of the main mcs, which will always make it hard to root for the book.

I do recommend it for people who love a long drawn out story that eventually gets to the point.

A third-world political fantasy about a prince and his loyal bodyguard. This is for fans of The Goblin Emperor and Winter's Orbit, and has a really fascinating metals-based magic system. I found the start a little dry and slow going, but once I was in, I read the rest in one sitting - really lovely.