A Taste of Gold and Iron

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Evemer needed to question himself and everything he believed in and learn to communicate more clearly. Kadou needed to learn to love himself and accept that there were things he couldn’t control. The characters were so lively, their thoughts and personalities unique and distinct. Kadou’s anxiety, which was phenomenally written, was the primary cause of his insecurities. With the help of Evemer, Kadou’s understanding of his anxiety slowly improved, and the man he was in the first and final chapters of the story were two different people. Kadou learned ways to cope and live with anxiety, and the way Evemer was patient with him, talked through all his concerns, and helped him process his emotions, was truly beautiful. Evemer was so loving, so gorgeously written. I adore men who are both strong and powerful, yet soft and gentle. Evemer is an elegant representation of what a masculine fantasy character should be. They were both superbly written as individuals, but together were sensational. They complimented each other and were better together. Warning: the ending is, if not quite a cliffhanger (because of course there is no suspense to the relationship and the political plot, ah, lol, that is veneer thin and just ornamental!) unsatisfactory. This is a very long book (170k words), much too long, but the ending is couple chapters short and it feels like a cheap attempt to make fans buy more books, more novellas to get further into a HEA for these characters. (In case it was not clear, I am going to be reading it, I do not care, halfway through I was just rage reading).

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.” vinsentient on It’s No Fun To Be Alone: Communicating With Cryptids in The Shape of Water 3 hours ago Kadou, the shy prince of Arast, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen’s new child—in an altercation that results in his humiliation. A Taste of Gold and Iron is a slow-burn romance flush with sexy, complicated relationships and founded on the ethics of duty and love. As indulgent and satisfying as your favorite fanfiction.”—Tessa Gratton, author of The Queens of Innis LearIt's the perfect slow burn. Even their friendship is a slow burn, and getting to that point in their romance where they admit their true feelings, not only to each other but to themselves, is so worth it. Vanessa Armstrong Horror Film It Follows to Get a Sequel, Reasonably Titled They Follow 5 hours ago A beautifully detailed world, the power to touch-taste metal, political schemes, and a slow-burn romance wrap together in a lush fantasy. Rowland's latest continues to showcase their captivating prose, immersive details, and complicated characters."— Library Journal (starred review)

In truth, this book is just one more forgettable gay romance in the sea of forgettable gay romances that make up the Tor frontlist. The writing is cringey, the romance is meh, and the world is empty of any real vitality. All of it is in service to this idea that if you just write a book like it’s a fanfic, people will automatically love it. This was an absolutely excellent romantic fantasy romp and I'm so glad it ended up being my first completed read of 2023. Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the official group for requesting additions or updates to the catalog, including: Yet another fanfic-like mm fantasy (sometimes it is sf) romance from a major publisher with prepublishing hype and fancy covers and professional blurbs and I keep falling for it and hoping it is going to be good. And this A Taste of Gold and Iron was really quite bad. I loved spending time with Kadou. A Taste of Gold and Iron is a beautiful love story with a warm, genuine, and hugely relatable portrayal of living with anxiety at its center, and I rooted for the main character all the way.”—Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit

The Goblin Emperor meets "Magnificent Century" in Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy. The conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing – and bring about its ruin. 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. If you’ve been searching for a queer fantasy romance, look no further than A Taste of Gold and Iron. Not only is there a great balance between characters and magic, but also perfect for fans of body guard and royalty romance!”— Utopia State of Mind 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.

Drama, intense politics, and sexual tension . . . . Witty . . . While it is a romantic fantasy novel, it’s also a political thriller, heist, and family saga at once. More importantly, as with any good romantic novel, I was shaking the book asking when the characters would kiss already. It was well worth the wait when they finally did.”— Locus A Taste of Gold and Iron absolutely delivers on its premise. This has the perfect blend of dislike growing into love, quiet yearning, dangerous conspiracies, found family, and a touch of magic. This book has characters you are going to fall for (even if you think you don't like them at first) and an incredible supporting cast filled with interesting, nuanced, strong men, women and nonbinary folks. I am expecting (and hoping for!) lots of fan art with this one. Kadou's coping with anxiety and personal growth are a joy to watch as he fully embraces his talents and comes out of his shell with the help of Evemer, his bodyguard. The slow-burn romance between them is beautifully done and adds a thrilling element to the story that readers will savor.”— BooklistKadou dragged his chair closer to oblige and, between the two of them, they managed to get Eyne transferred into his arms with no more than a few ominous grumbles from the child. She was, somehow, already notably bigger and plumper than she’d been the week before. Kadou had had no idea that babies grew that fast. “If you can’t enjoy the hunt yourself, why drag all of us out here?” To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, 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 Tadek had comforted and reassured him, had kissed his hands and smiled at him, had offered to ask around as to whether anyone else had heard mention of what Kadou had done (or was doing) to make Siranos so angry and suspicious. That was the point where things had started to go … awkward. Awkward, even before this moment, when his perspective wrenched and he was able to look at it from an outsider’s perspective: Sending a kahya after Siranos was tantamount to having him tailed. Anyone else would conclude that easily. Overall, while there are elements within the whole that could be worth a recommend, I would definitely hesitate to encourage anyone give it a try who wasn't already going to.

There were times when Kadou acted and only later realized, in a flash of crushing humiliation just like this one, how his actions might look from the outside. It had rather been at the top of his mind lately due to the troubles with Eyne’s body-father, the way he stalked around Kadou, scrutinizing him so closely, glaring at him, making it clear with every glance that he believed that Kadou was up to something. Gods, he realized immediately, of course they had seen it. He and Tadek had been right out in the open, they hadn’t been subtle in the least—) I could never put it down for long, despite how exasperating I sometimes found the characters. I didn't have much respect for them for about the first half of the story, and I certainly wasn't rooting for a romance to develop. More on that later — first I want to mention something that would have killed my interest in the book had I known about it beforehand. The ambassador of Oissos is behaving with no sense of decorum whatsoever,” Zeliha went on. “She keeps following me around and declaiming as if she’s in the middle of her Senate. I don’t know who thought a Senate was a good idea. All it seems to do is turn out a load of annoying power-hungry bureaucrats.” Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.Tessa Gratton, author of The Queen of Innis Lear Witty, clever, and often extremely funny, Rowland's tale of a prince who doesn't want power but has it anyway – and must survive all the risks that brings with it – somehow manages to be both soft and hard-edged, clever and kind. And sexy! Very much that too I received an ARC from Edelweiss+ and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. ** so like. there’s a lot going on here. there’s breathtaking world building with casual queerness, political & economical intrigue, a plot that meanders like a lullaby, a gorgeously diverse & layered cast, & women who wield their power without hesitation.