I am not generally at all interested in bodyguard romance BUT this had a great fantasy world and really well fleshed out characters. I rarely ever ship and normally I read around romance because half the time you can’t avoid it being there anyway. Basically, I’m usually indifferent. Not so here. I found this M/M enemies to lovers love story super sweet. I was completely invested and my only complaint is that it was too short! Truly excellent.

A Taste of Gold and Iron was a book I was looking forward to IMMENSELY this year. When I got approved for an ARC last week, I may have screamed a little out loud. I feel absolutely no shame about that because this book has ONE HUNDRED PERCENT lived up to the hype. What hype, you might ask? Well, this book (and its absolutely gorgeous cover) has been making the rounds on Twitter as a book to look forward to. Even the author has been hyping up their own work — AS THEY SHOULD. Oh my god, as they should.

A Taste of Gold and Iron takes place in a fictional country named Arasht that is ruled by a lady-sultan. Her adult brother, Kadou, is an anxious adorable cinnamon roll. For the first bit of the novel, he comes across as a little bit spineless, a lot squishy, and in need of some serious comfort. As you read, it becomes very obvious that Kadou is anything but spineless.

Through a series of events that I won’t spoil, Evemer becomes Kadou’s bodyguard. Evemer is a serious, duty-before-all sort of man who doesn’t think very much of his new charge. This changes, of course, and they end up in an absolutely adorable will-they-won’t-they tangle. I am happy to report that oh yes they do. The romance in A Taste of Gold and Iron reminds me of the best fanfictions out there. There’s pining, and there’s the whole oh-they-can’t-love-me-I’m-worthless/undeserving thing. There’s the only one bed trope, Evemer and Kadou wash each other’s hair, they “fake” kiss to disguise themselves, and a million other cute tropey things. There are so many absolutely delicious tropes in this book.

Alexandra Rowland has created an absolute masterpiece of a world in Arasht. My absolute favorite bits of world building were the fact that gender is not binary. Men wear long hair, jewelry, and make up. Marriage can be between anyone without any issue. Arasht is ruled by a female sultan who doesn’t have to marry if she doesn’t want to, in fact it’s better if she doesn’t. The captain of the bodyguards is a badass older woman.

Many, many people have compared A Taste of Gold and Iron to The Goblin Emperor, but I don’t see that as an appropriate comparison at all. I hated The Goblin Emperor because it was boring, hard to understand, and everyone had a name that started with the same letter. A Taste of Gold and Iron has absolutely none of those issues. The book has plenty of action, and while the world is completely fictional, it is extremely easy to follow.

I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can recommend it to absolutely everyone I know. This is going to be the next big fandom out there. Kadou and Evemer are extremely shippable and I can just see their numbers on AO3 going up, up, up.

I loved everything about this. Somehow the author was able to craft this unique and amazing world without 200 pages of exposition. The story just kept moving without each plotline taking 300 pages. Every single character was their own, unique, and fleshed out so well. The diversity of the characters was brilliant too, without need a whole exposition or "look did you see the diversity!". And it's a standalone! As I was reading I just kept making a mental note of all the checkboxes going off in my mind. A fun read! My only complaint was that it all felt a bit chaste, but that's part of its charm!

This is book was such a good experience and truly a work of art.
First of all, these CHARACTERS! They're all SO much fun. Not only are they just a collective ball of hilarity and joy, they're all super well-developed. My favorites were Tadek (shocker because I HATED him at the beginning), Melek, and Tenzin (although she's a very minor character). Kadou and Evemer were the main characters obviously, but they all shone so brightly. Everyone seemed like a real person on and off of the page, not like someone used only to further the romance and plot of the main characters. I couldn't even be annoyed when I character I liked came on because they were all entertaining and good for the plot.
In terms of plot, I was actually really surprised. In most fantasy novels, especially non-YA, you'll find a detailed rebellion about war and battle. However, this one, while high stakes in a different way, had almost none of that. There were some action scenes, but the majority of the book was about either the romance or counterfeit coins and their effect on the economy. This was also surprising to me because although the main character Kadou places emphasis on his ability to discern the metal components in any metallic item he touches, his power itself wasn't that relevant. However, the mostly simple nature of the book and lack of excessive politics or war made it really readable, especially for those first venturing into adult fantasy novels.
The romance certainly wasn't lacking anything here. At first, I actually thought Tadek was the love interest, but that was cleared up very quickly by Evemer's POV. The amount of tropes the author managed to fit in here is truly admirable; there are so many that I can't spoil, but just know you're in for a treat. I wasn't totally sold on this couple for actually a solid 30% or so, but I never went back after.
The other interpersonal relationships were just as amazing. There was a lot of complexity to see in the rivalries and friendships, especially because since Kadou was exiled from court, the cast of characters was pretty small. My favorite was honestly probably anyone and Tadek. The nature of a lot of his relationships changed significantly, but he wasn't willing to cast anyone out. He also made SIGNIFICANT contributions to how hilarious the last 10% of the book could be ("I've found religion--" so have I, king).
Overall, I'd recommend this to newcomers to adult fantasy novels. Although it does have some politics and great worldbuilding, there's no info-dumping and it's really readable. There's loads of positive representation, which is always great to see. I wouldn't call this book a quick read, but it's not terribly time-consuming or tedious at all.

I loved this book. The world building was amazing. The characters were fantastic. The Character development for Evemer was beautiful. I was completely enthralled by this story. I want more. I loved Tadek. Kadou is so wonderful as well. Struggling so much with his anxiety, and panic attacks, he still accomplishes so much. And the romance between him and Evemer is so pure, and sweet. Thank you for this.


(I will be posting on my goodreads, and tiktok.)

It was quite an enjoyable read for me. And I really liked the MCs. But, I find the starting a little bit slow, however, I absolute loved the dosage of the slowburn romance in it. It was just chefs kiss. Moreover, the writing was absolutely beautiful too. So, in a nutshell, it’s a 4 stars read for me

Y'all I'm screaming!!

the longing. the pining. the yEARNING.

This is a super slow burn, fantastically built love story / fantasy set in Ottoman Empire inspired, queernorm world. God, it's just lovely and tender and the build up, while slow, is worth it!

4.75 stars

A Taste of Gold and Iron follows Kadou, a shy prince of the kingdom of Arasht (a fantasy world reminiscent of the ottoman empire), who finds himself at odds with a powerful figure at court - the father of the queen's new child and a resulting altercation leads to Kadou being shamed and humilated. In order to prove himself to his sister the queen, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best and is meant to whip Kadou into shape. Together, whilst growing ever closer, they discover a conspiracy that could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.

The highlight of the book for me was the romance. I would call this a fantasy romance as the romance is the main focus and executed excellently. It features the prince and bodyguard trope which is one of my absolute favourites as well as initial dislike to lovers which I’m also a sucker for. The simmering slow burn tension will suck you right in and I was so invested I couldn't stop reading until they acknowledged feelings lol.

Kadou and Evemer are both such compelling characters and I loved exploring their relationship and how they helped each other grow and develop. There was a lot of angst and yearning but at the same time it felt very gentle and sweet which are my favourite kinds of relationship. I also really liked the relationship both of them had with another character called Tadek, who is Kadou's ex-lover and after events at the start of the book has been demoted from being a kahyalar to being Kadou's armsman, he is such well fleshed out side character and I was just as invested in his story as the two mains - he honestly deserves his own spin-off. I loved his sass and charm, as well as the progression of his relationship with Evemer - it's not romantic in any way but something I really love is when two characters who don't like each other intially slowly become friends and seeing how much they both care for Kadou and bond over it was so adorable.

This book has one of the most realistic and visceral depicitions of anxiety and panic attacks I've ever read in a fantasy book. I think this book could be quite triggering if you aren't in a place to read it as the author managed to capture the unexplainable terror and irrational fear of a panic attack. I do think it is handled with great care though and added a lot of depth to the book. I also think it shows just because you have anxiety doesn't mean you can't still achieve things and how being brave despite the fear makes you stronger as a person.

I would say this book is quite slow paced and I loved the meandering almost lullaby like tone. The focus on quieter moments and giving characters time to reflect on their feelings is something I really love and appreciated here. However if you are looking for a super fast paced action packed fantasy this is not the book for you. That said I did really enjoy the plot though, it's very political and has a central mystery around counterfeit coins and hidden plots against the crown - I thought the balance of plot and romance was perfect (for me at least) and I liked how certain situations with the plot would create scenarios for some of my favourite romance tropes to play out (ie they are caught spying in an alley and have to 'fake' kiss to not be caught).

The prose is delightful and really stood out to me when reading. It’s very calming and relaxing, whilst being luxurious and indulgent. The descriptions of clothes, food, architecture and similar created a sumputous atmosphere and it is the perfect book to immerse yourself in and forget the real world for a little while.

The magic and fantasy elements are fairly minimal - I did like those that were included, but I would have loved to explore it a bit more. Some people in the empire can touch taste metal and discover the composition and origins of it which is a really fascinating concept and I loved the discussions around economical implications.

I saw somewhere this book compared to the goblin emperor and I can definitely see that - I think if you enoyed that you will really love this. They have the same overall calm and comforting vibe (despite some heavy themes) while still having a intriguing political mystery at the heart of things.

In conclusion this is an excellent book with a perfect balance of sultry romance, calming prose and a comforting feel whilst still touching on heavy themes especially around anxiety and mental health, an intriguing political mystery and extremely loveable cinnamon roll characters. You definitely do not want to miss it so get pre-ordering!!!!

This is going to end up being my best read of the year, hands down. That cover and title snared me immediately, and the promise of an ability where people can touch-taste metal is delicious. And this book follows up on everything the cover and title promised.

Kadou is instantly relatable with his desire to do no harm and his chronic anxiety in the wake of that crushing responsibility. And Evemer with his solid dependability and his refusal to compromise in the face of adversity is just... *chef's kiss*. I can absolutely see the comparison to The Goblin Emperor in so many ways, but these novels are their own distinct stories.

As is the case with other books similar to this one, the plot felt somewhat secondary to the romantic development, but I'll be honest, I don't particularly care. The court intrigue and the threat of counterfeit destabilizing the nation's economy were solid enough to keep me satisfied, and the non-European inspired world building is novel and meaty enough to sink my teeth into. The people that Kadou and Evemer surround themselves with have their own sense of life and vibrancy, but ultimately, this story is about a prince and his bodyguard, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

One. If you’re looking for more non-Western-inspired fantasies to read, this should be next on your list. It takes its inspiration from the Ottoman Empire, which makes it a refreshing departure from northern European-inspired fantasies. And that worldbuilding is beautifully in depth here, so that you can imagine you’re right there alongside the characters.

Two. This is a fantasy novel full of court intrigues—it’s compared to The Goblin Emperor after all, which is a high bar to live up to. You’ll be drawn in as Kadou and Evemer investigate a growing conspiracy, all while trying to deal with some pesky emotions.

Three. If you know anything about the Ottoman Empire, you’re probably at least the slightest bit aware of how they dealt with royal siblings. While that isn’t the case in this one, it lends a tension to the sibling relationship in this book, particularly as people start to point the finger at Kadou. And equally, Kadou isn’t as certain of his sister’s love as he might be, so you end up with something gloriously angst ridden, with an undercurrent of oh god what if it all goes wrong.

Four. Fantasy is all well and good. Fantasy with a mystery subplot is all well and good. But fantasy romance with a mystery subplot? That’s something you cannot top. Especially when you start off with the characters disliking one another and being forced, against their wills, to work together. The forced proximity! The slow thawing towards one another! All of it, *chef’s kiss*.

Five. It has characters you can root for. Not only are Kadou and Evemer both very sympathetic characters, who you only want the best for, but so is the cast around them. These are the kinds of characters that you wish you could just get a little insight into their thoughts too, although you know that would make the story meander even more.