A Taste of Gold and Iron centers around Prince Kadou of Arast, who is the brother of the sultan Zelhia. He is in the spotlight from being part of the royal family, but he also suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. I went into this novel knowing there was good mental health representation, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it was written. Being that it is a more medieval type royalty book, sometimes you never know how they’re going to handle mental illness—sometimes they refer to it as demons or something that needs to be exorcised out of the person.

After an altercation which leaves a few guards dead, Kadou is forced to choose between taking a “vacation” or moving out of the public eye. Due to his anxiety, moving out of the public eye seems less like a punishment than a reward. He is assigned one of the newest, yet brightest, guards, Evemer Hoskadem. At first, Evemer’s thoughts of Kadou are clouded by the loss of his comrades, but soon he learns about the reality of Kadou’s mental state. It all seems so natural, with very realistic emotions and feelings.

As with most books involving royalty, I get myself lost in all of the character and governmental world building. One of the coolest parts in this book (and even where the book got the name) is the ability of some of Arastian people to taste metal by touching it. I really wish this was expanded upon. I expected a lot more to come from this part of the book, and was kind of sad it was glossed over.

This book reminded me a lot of Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell. It’s not necessarily similar, but the vibes are and both books checked a lot of my boxes when it comes to queer fantasy. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

CW for panic attacks, anxiety, mental illness, blood, kidnapping/confinement, bullying, violence, and animal death

A slow burn and enjoyable read. With character, you like spending time with and a mystery you don't need to think too hard about. An excellent fluff of queer fantasy romance. IF you love the cover, you'll love this.

This year is really wrecking me. I thought I had found my favorite book when I read “Right Where I Left You” and when I read “So This Is Ever After” and then again when I read “Sofi and the Bone Song” and “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” and especially after I read “A Strange and Stubborn Endurance”. But I had no clue what was coming. NO FREAKIN CLUE. BECAUSE THIS BOOK? THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

First of all, the anxiety rep in this book is just fantastic. The way a panic attack is described, the way you feel while you’re panicking, the before and the after: it’s all absolutely perfect. There’s very few books out there that describe anxiety as well as this one did because it’s hard to explain the feelings even if you’ve felt them. So that was just perfect, right off the bat.

Secondly, Kadou is literally the sweetest person ever. He’s like Charlie Spring but older and with more anxiety. He overthinks everything, blames himself for the smallest of mishaps and does everything he can to make himself as small as possible as to not burden anyone else. He respects people’s feelings and does his best to do no harm but when threatened, he will not rest until everyone he loves, and everyone in his care, is safe. Although the overthinking and the anxiety are a large part of Kadou’s personality, his kindness is infinitely larger. And that is what made me love him.

Thirdly, Evemer. I have to be honest, the instant I met Kadou, I was ready to protect him with my life. So when Evemer comes into the picture, already despising Kadou without even knowing him, I was on edge. But then, slowly, day by day, Evemer began to see who Kadou truly is and started changing. It wasn’t instantaneous: Evemer is one of the least trusting people in this entire book. He needs time and space and proof to see who someone is and if they’re a good person or someone pretending to be. Even before he fully accepted Kadou, however, Evemer read him like a book and did his best to keep the distance between Kadou and the people that made him uncomfortable, *cough* Siranos *cough*. Evemer was a tough shell to crack, especially when compared to Kadou. But he is loyal to a fault, caring, in his own way, insecure of his deepest feelings, gentle, when need be, and sharp the rest of the time. He’s soft, kind but can turn those feelings off in a split second. I just love him. So much.

Lastly, this entire book was just brilliant. Every part of it was written so well. I keep going back and rereading parts because some of these scenes are so well done, that even know, a week later, they’re living in my head rent free. (*SPOILER* My favorite scene is where Evemer tells Kadou that he wants to teach him how to fight and then Kadou knocks him flat on his back in one punch. I didn’t describe it well here but COMEDIC GOLD, that scene is. *SPOILER ENDS*) And again, I just keep going back and rereading the parts where Kadou’s anxiety is described because it helps me know that I’m not alone. Above everything, though, I keep rereading the emotional growth that both Kadou and Evemer go through. They start off as two people who keep their emotions under wraps and at the end, although they’re still keeping their emotions under wraps from the rest of the world, they don’t hide from each other and that’s growth.

This book is yet another, this year, that’s fighting for that #1 of the year spot and I just cannot, in words, describe to you how much love I have for it. It’s amazing, it’s fantastic, it’s brilliant, it’s beautiful and above all, it’s full of emotion.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is stunning. Unfortunately the writing was too dense. I'm going to give this book another shot in the future because I really want to like this book.

I absolutely loved this book! I was invested from start to finish. There is so much I liked about it. To start, the characters. They were written with so much depth and heart, especially Kadou, who has anxiety. I thought the way Alexandra wrote his struggle with it was respectful and incredibly realistic. As someone who deals with anxiety daily, it was like reading my own struggle play out on the page. So it goes without saying, I really related to and sympathized with him. I was rooting for him the whole way through. it was really satisfying to see his character development. And Evemer, I love that man so much! It was so nice to see his view of Kadou slowly change from intense dislike to head over heels in love. That's another thing I thought this book did well- the progression of Kadou and Evemer's relationship. It was really slow burn, and it worked so well. Things progressed naturally and didn't just happen all at once. It was gradual and you could slowly see that change. I've always been a sucker for slow burns so this just really did it for me. Alexandra, I applaud you! As for the other characters, I loved Tadek. His personality is so vibrant and fun, and he's such a good friend. He was such a strong support for Kadou when he was at his worst, when he had no one, and even when he was at his best. He just never left his side. And I really liked that they stayed friends throughout and at the end, when he found about him and Evemer being together. Melek, too was a joy. And Zeliha! I love reading books where women have the power. It was a welcome breath of fresh air. Also, I just want to say, the LGBT rep was phenomenal! The casual queer-norm world and the existence of gender neutral pronouns was lovely to read! It's not something I'm usually used to reading in fantasy, let alone fiction in general so I was quite happy to see that. As for the plot, it was highly engaging. Although it was rather predictable early on, I found that I enjoyed watching everything unravel anyway. I was never bored. I must say though, I really enjoyed the light fantasy aspects, like the metal touch tasting. Although I do wish it was explored more. I think there was potential to expand on it maybe? Lastly, while I greatly enjoyed this book as a whole, there is one thing that bothered me and that is the ending. While it is a happy one, It feels incomplete to me. I felt it was rather abrupt. I would have liked to see at least one more chapter or at least an epilogue taking place at least one year later to see how everything played out with Evemer and Kadou's relationship in regards to the general public, and the royal household finding out about it. I wanted to see how everything settled. It would have been nice to see a conversation between Zeliha and Kadou about it. I just felt like one more chapter would have rounded everything off nicely. While I don't necessarily dislike the ending, I just wanted more. Which is mostly why I can't rate it 5 stars. But generally speaking, this book is a new favorite of mine and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I loved it so much, and I really hope I'll get to see more of Kadou and Evemer one day. A sequel would be nice!

The description of A Taste of Gold and Iron ticked all the boxes for me. Well-constructed fantasy setting; protagonists with struggles and opportunities for growth; political skullduggery; a bit of romance; and that gorgeous cover! I was so excited to dive into this world. The beginning hooked me as Kadou deals with the fall-out from an altercation with the body-father of his sister’s new child. To prove his loyalty to his sister, the sultan, Kadou investigates a break-in at one of their guilds. A job hampered by Kadou’s severe bouts of anxiety. His mental state is not improved when he is assigned a new guard. Evemer is a perfect soldier and very underwhelmed by the prince. As they dive into uncovering a conspiracy with far-reaching consequences for the kingdom, they discover their feeling for each other changing from wary disappointment to admiration and love. And that’s where the story lost me. I wanted political intrigue and fantasy drama, but those elements were overwhelmed by the romance between the two protagonists. At the two-thirds mark, any pretense of this being a fantasy novel was abandoned. The characters do dumb things with the sole purpose of putting them in a specific sort of danger. That accomplished, the plot against the kingdom is side-lined so we can spend the next third of the book focused on how much our two heroes love each other. Really. It was a lot. A lot of talking about their feelings, while the bad guys and their nefarious schemes are relegated to little more than an aside. I was not prepared. Had I known this was a full-blown romance in fantasy clothing, I would have adjusted my expectations. As it is, I wanted to give this two stars, but the world-building was solid, as were the secondary characters. Tadek’s arc in particular kept me turning the pages. For his sake, and because of that darn cover art, I bumped it up to three stars.

Going into Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, I thought it likely I’d enjoy it; after all, bodyguard/charge dynamics are a forever favourite of mine, especially with a royal/commoner flavor. What I didn’t expect was for this novel to sweep me off my feet into a lush, detailed, evocative world and take me on a heartfelt journey with the characters within it.

Prince Kadou, brother to the queen, has never been keen on the idea of power or the spotlight. When Kadou becomes entangled in a misunderstanding that results in his disgrace, he has to prove his loyalty to his sister and queen. Tasked with investigating a break-in at the Shipbuilder’s Guild, the stoic and distant Evemer is assigned as Kadou’s court-appointed bodyguard. The two unearth a conspiracy with far deeper roots than they imagined, one that could ruin the entire kingdom.

If I had to describe A Taste of Gold and Iron in one word, it would be this: intimate. From the romance to the economics, there’s a layered intimacy about this world that makes it a delight to sink into. Sometimes this intimacy has a sensual bent (there’s a bathing/washing scene that lives in my head rent-free), a tactile delicacy (the magic system), or the lightly voyeuristic feel of observing things meant unseen (the complex politics of the royal guard).

As a lifelong lover of worldbuilding, I can’t stress enough how well crafted this world is. The economy upon which several plot elements hinge on is explained and dimensional. The political structures are clearly delineated and make sense at every level of extrapolation. The matriarchal society, a personal favourite of mine, isn’t just the toxic patriarchy but reversed! There’s a normalized gender outside of ‘he’ or ‘she’ and never once is it an issue!

And the romance… Listen, a slow burn has to be done well to hold my attention, and in this case, I was utterly spellbound. I saw this described in multiple places as an enemies to lovers romance, but I disagree with that assessment; while not particularly a fan of the prince, Evemer is certainly on his side. Loyalty kink fans, however, will find a lot to love about this romance. Kadou and Evemer grow both together and independently in believable ways and their journey feels earned.

Finally, the anxiety representation in this book spoke volumes to me. I tend to be incredibly particular with depictions of anxiety in fiction. Kadou’s struggles and perseverance in the face of those struggles felt both vulnerable and powerful to me.

If you want to be transported by a wonderful, luxurious fantasy queer romance, look no further than A Taste of Gold and Iron. This novel is a favourite of 2022 for me and one I will definitely re-read and recommend in the future.

Thank you to Tordorcom and Netgalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a queer M/M fantasy slow-burn romance with political intrigue. I am so happy I received an arc of this novel because it really had me reading past my bedtime.

A Taste of Gold and Iron follows Evemere who is part of the royal guard and is assigned to Prince Kadou's bodyguard. Prince Kadou is very shy and deals with crippling generalized anxiety but finds himself accused of plotting to usurp the crown from his sister, the sultan. In order to clear his name, Kadou is determined who is behind this scheme with the help of Evemere. I was really impressed by Rowland's prose and the characterization of Kadou and Evemore. I also really liked how the author included trans and nonbinary representation, and referred to characters as cir or cIs. I did find that the pacing was a little too slow at some points but overall I really enjoyed this novel.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a low-fantasy romance with an MM love story, magical realism and representation for trans/non-binary folks and anxiety. All things I love! Where the book falls short for me is that it tends to hinge on character introspection, pining for the most part, and its aesthetics. The politics, court intrigue, and tavern brawls are background dressing to the two main characters experiencing these things in relation to one another. The counterfeit scheme, the coup for the throne and even the kidnapping of the prince are, in the end, kind of inconsequential to the character development. The world building is there and could be interesting, but it doesn't help reveal anything about the characters themselves. I love love loved the cover: it is the perfect incapsulation of the novel.

3.25 stars

This m/m fantasy romance was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I’m sad that it fell short. I will say that I think the anxiety representation is very well done. It does start to get old as you’re reading about it over and over and over, but that’s one of the reasons it’s well done; we have anxiety all day every day, not just occasionally. Kadou shows such deep self-hatred, self-doubt, and takes the blame for things that he shouldn’t. But this is also his downfall as he obstinately refuses to acknowledge the bad guy IS a bad guy. But the book is really too long for as simplistic as the plot is, and Kadou’s ex is such a gay stereotype and it’s really a shame (seriously, I was waiting for him to snap his fingers in the air and yell “Yaass, Queen!”).
This isn’t a bad read by any means, it just really needed some editing.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I'm usually not the biggest fantasy fan but I couldn't put this down after the few pages. The characters, the culture, the politics, everything is so intriguing and interesting it just pulls you in.
I LOVE the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance in this book it is just so well written. The LGBTQ and anxiety representation are also top-notch.
All in all one of my favorite fantasy reads ever.

I found it a little confusing at first but caught onto the details of the world fairly quickly. A real slow burn romance with a satisfying ending.

This book seriously has some of the best LGBTQ rep of any I have read! The use of different pronouns is normalized, the choice people have in who to love is a given, and I loved every second of it.

Kadou is a prince who hasn’t always made the best choices, Evermer is his BODYGUARD 👀👀 and insert enemies to lovers tension. 👩‍🍳 😘

There were so many spots in this book I stopped to highlight. There are so many elements I loved, the queer rep, the kyalar (warriors) being trained as actual people and not devices/servants, and the ANXIETY rep was fantastic.

Rowland has written us a world where the characters aren’t perfect but we love them anyway.

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance, I highly recommend you pick this one up!

Big thank you to @tordotcompub for the gifted copy/advanced copy I’m exchange for an honest review!

I'm always excited to see English-language fantasy with settings that aren't a pseudo-England or pseudo-Japan, so when I saw this described as a pseudo-Ottoman setting, I eagerly requested a review copy. However, despite being published by Tor, A Taste of Gold and Iron is actually a romance with fantasy trappings rather than a fantasy with a romance subplot. And while that isn't a distinction that always matters, in this case I think it's best to go in with the right expectations. Taken as a political fantasy, the pacing would be wildly off, but as a slow-burn romance, it's understandable (although not to my personal taste).

Genre surprise aside, I also had a few small issues with the world-building. The author makes their pseudo-Ottoman world (they comment on their website they were inspired by watching The Magnificent Century) more open in terms of sex, gender and sexuality, but bafflingly chooses to hang onto the xenophobia. The pseudo-Greek character in here is such a stereotype that I expected it to be subverted at some point. But no. He lives up (down?) to the stereotype completely.
It's also implied that the in-world language is, if not Turkish, at least Turkic (gold is altın, plurals are -lar/ler), but we also have a character using neo-pronouns that start with a ç. If we're meant to assume that this is a gender neutral in-world pronoun (which seems to be the case), that's fine, except that Turkic languages are gender-neutral already. So using a neutral pronoun in "translation" makes sense (in the same way that "o" can become "he" or "she" or "it" in Turkish to English translations), but less so when it starts with a ç, therefore implying that it's the in-world term. That said, since I read an eARC, it's possible that some of these things will have changed for final publication.

Regardless of my nitpicks, I think this will certainly find an audience with anyone looking for a slow-burn MM romance with a fantasy setting who aren't going to take that setting too seriously. Ultimately it wasn't for me, but it might be for you!

It’s so exciting see this book on the shelves of indigo now, because I’ve been wanting to discuss this book for a while. Firstly, the cover is gorgeous! But that’s only the beginning! The story really takes you in, I found the pages flying, and I couldn’t put the book down! Go get it immediately

I loved this! Such a lovely, romantic book.

Kadou was a lovable mess. So kind and compassionate and brave (despite thinking otherwise), but riddled with anxiety and panic attacks, never thinking anything through but also simultaneously overthinking everything, leaving his rooms dressed mismatching and haphazardly, trying to escape his problems with wine or fights or other bad decisions (mostly wine). But it was actually his anxiety that him so caring (or maybe vice versa, or a bit of both). He was so conscious of his actions and never wanted them to hurt anyone or to impose on anyone, so he lived with constant worry that he was (and honestly I find that very relatable, though I could only dream of being as wonderful of a person as Kadou).

Evemer was by-the-book, rule-oriented, rigid about what he believed to be right and wrong, hardworking, and analytical. He needed time to fully consider things before responding or making decisions. He had difficulty expressing his feelings. He was also kinda judgy at the start, though able to realize and willing to admit when he’d been wrong about something or someone. And he was loyal and devoted and also so easy for me to love and care about as a character once I got to know him.

I don’t know why some of the characters didn’t like Tadek, I loved him! He was gossipy and flirty, but lots of them were gossipy, and consensual flirting (or more) doesn’t hurt anyone. He was loyal and charming and clever, and when it came to Kadou, he went above and beyond what was asked and was willing to risk his life to protect him. He wasn’t the right person for Kadou romantically, but I still felt for him right from the start. And as the book went on, he was so cheeky sometimes with his teasing, but the kind that you can’t help but love. I would absolutely read a book about Tadek, if the author were ever to write one.

I would say the main focus of this book was the romance, and the dynamic between Kadou and Evemer at the beginning was so fun! A stubborn guard (technically more than just a guard, but I’m not getting into a whole explanation in my review) who disliked the “careless-flighty-negligent” prince he was stuck with but was *going to protect him, damn it!* And the equally stubborn prince determined to make Evermer’s job of both obeying him and protecting him impossible.

But of course that changes over time, and it’s somewhat of a slow burn. I say “somewhat” because I have a high tolerance for slow-burns, but also because, though it took them a while to actually admit their feelings and even longer to have the sex, the tension was somewhat mitigated by the “Kiss me so they won’t think we’re spying!” moments and then the other things they did once they did admit their feelings. But I’m not complaining, the “fake” kissing was still lovely and full of secret wanting! The first one especially was *chef’s kiss* And the real kissing was lovely too. Seeing Evemer—rigid, stoic Evemer—come apart the way he did was also *chef’s kiss*

There was the whole prince/guard thing and how Evemer took oaths to serve Kadou and took orders from him and was willing to die for him, which could be considered a power imbalance, or it could be considered really freaking sexy. Once his opinion of Kadou changed, and especially once he started having feelings, Evemer’s devotion went above and beyond. It wasn’t just about oaths anymore. He wanted to serve Kadou, because he had always hoped he’d be assigned to someone worthy of his fealty, and Kadou very much was. And Kadou never saw it as a one-sided thing. He was very big on reciprocity and making sure he valued and gave back to his guards as much as they gave to him, just in a different way.

Anyway, Evemer’s devotion was terribly romantic. (“Terribly” being used in the good way.) The whole book was romantic. You might think, “Well, yeah, it’s a romance,” but the word “romantic” doesn’t normally come to mind for me as a descriptor of a book. It suits this one though.

There was a plot, and it was enjoyable too. That probably sounds unenthusiastic after all the gushing I’ve done, but I did like learning about this world, the kahyalar (the guards), the metal touch-tasting ability, the truthwitches, etc. The plot seemed to take on a background role, and it facilitated the romance and character development nicely without ever being confusing.

Overall, I just loved this! It was romantic and lovely with complex, lovable characters and a romance so full of devotion I think I may have swooned!

A queer, romance-centric fantasy brimming with politics, diversity, and yearning, A Taste of Gold and Iron is an intriguing novel set in the same world as Rowland's previous novels. While it didn't work for me as much as I wished for it to, I adored the relationship between Kadou and Evemer and I'm curious to see what Rowland writes next.

Prince Kadou's anxiety has always been his greatest weakness, but now, with his niece newly-born and his sister the Sultan vulnerable, he struggles to make any choices for fear of harming them. When his fear and inaction result in the death of some of his guard, Kadou is emotionally paralyzed and unable to do much of anything, let alone investigate the counterfeiting case with diplomatic implications that has been dumped into his lap. Enter Evemer, a taciturn, by-the-book guard who wouldn't know indecision if it stood next to him in an imperfectly-pressed uniform. Together, Kadou and Evemer learn to work together while ignoring their mutual attraction. Romance cliches abound - secret marriage! initial misunderstandings lead to love! sparring as foreplay!- but the writing is so good and the characters so well written that the cliches don't grate. A fun. low-stakes love story that will elicit awwwws from readers and will earn Rowland some lifelong fans.

I was so excited for this book. It was one of my most awaited releases for the year. Gay political romance set in a fantasy setting fashioned on the Ottoman Empire? Yes! And yet. Unfortunately, A Taste of Gold and Iron didn’t quite achieve my expectations. I’m not sure if I just wasn’t the correct headspace or if it’s really just the book, but here’s what I thought.

First off: the MC is just too... insufferable? I get the chronic anxiety, I get the fear of failing to meet expectations. Actually, those points were well expressed and developed throughout the book, and I did enjoy the representation. However: he’s a prince, dammit! He got and
I’ll actually admit: I was far more interested in MC’s sister than any of the other characters. For a few reasons, but the simplest one is because she is a Queen and actually gets hers shit done. She is far more compelling than MC, and since the beginning she demonstrated a fire that I just couldn’t find in MC. Another reason is that Rowland inserts the concept of harem in the royal court, with the subtilties of staking claim on heirs and right to the throne either through recognizing the “bodyfather” (biological father) or through marriage. I think if that concept had been explored through MC’s sister’s view it would have created far more interesting narrative.

On the world-building: it was okay, nothing too spectacular, but I sure was confused by all the terminology, hierarchy, and just… everything that was connected to the Kingdom? There is little to no explaining, making things more complicated that they ought to be. The first chapter was so hard to get into because I just couldn’t understand what I was reading, which then zeroed my interest in continuing. I really had to motivate myself to continue.

The romance was cute, very tropey, so if you read lot of fanfics you might get the same satisfaction as if you were reading one. Still, nothing special.

Yeah, so it wasn’t anything like I expected. Might revisit later, but for now it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me a digital ARC of this book in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

A Taste of Gold and Iron was fantastic! If you are looking for a fantasy romance that is filled with political intrigue and interesting worldbuilding, then I’d definitely recommend checking this book out!

The book takes place in a fantasy world inspired by the Ottoman Empire, which has gained power through the strength of its economy, which is backed by coins that are kept to high standards of purity- a necessity since many of the empire’s citizens have the ability to touch-taste precious metals.

Kadou, the prince of the empire, is already struggling anxiety due to the birth of his sisters first child and heir, his strained relationship with the child’s body-father, and tasks of helping run the empire as his sister recovers from giving birth when an altercation between him and the body-father leaves him humiliated and assigned a new bodyguard, the handsome, but aloof Evemer.

I really enjoyed this fantasy romance and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre, especially if you like slower paced fantasy with lots of political intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!