Something is afoot within the Royal Palace. Loyalties are shifting, in the city coin forgeries are on the rise. Who can a disfavoured prince trust? And how can their stoic new bodyguard save them…when they’re not sure they can save themselves?

In the early chapters of this book I hoped we were getting a queer Goblin Emperor-type story: eg, use of hairstyle to snub your opponent. Instead, ATOGAI is 80% romance, with magic and worldbuilding pretty decor, like lavish bathhouse tiling. It’s a shame, because Rowland’s world had some interesting details about sea serpents and witches who could never lie (or never miss a lie) that were glossed over. The stakes of the palace intrigue felt low: there was one shady character and I never felt he posed a real threat to the royal family (we were told forgeries could undermine the empire…but we didn’t see that danger play out). I like books like Priory of the Orange Tree where there’s a strong romance plot, but a lot of intricate worldbuilding to chew on at the same time.

Kadou the prince was a great character. At the start he wears the reader out with his anxiety and low self-esteem, but his mental health struggles are so cleanly depicted it’s impossible not to sympathise with him. I was less sure about Kadou’s ex Tadek - was he just a sassy gay sidekick? He seemed awfully cooperative after his lover mistreated him (repeatedly), and there wasn’t a lot of nuance.

What this book does best is romance-by-tropes, and there isn’t anything wrong with that. We get interesting characters, we see them play off each other in pretty settings. It’s entertaining and escapist.

4.75 rounded up.

Rowland is a new-to-me author and after this, their backlist is firmly on my TBR. This was a beautiful slow burn romance between a prince and his new bodyguard as they step into a conspiracy that could completely upend their country.

Rowland’s writing is full of lush descriptions and indulgent scenes of tenderness, loyalty, and sparks of humor. Arasht seems to be heavily inspired by the Ottoman Empire, seen in the clothes, culture, and some of the borrowed language. The world is queernorm with a great cast of characters across the queer umbrella—bi, ace, gay, nonbinary/genderqueer, etc.

I absolutely adored Kadou. He takes the intended notion of noblesse oblige to heart with the utmost sincerity, and I don’t know how you can’t love him. I found the way Kadou’s anxiety disorder was portrayed to be really well done. Many of his thoughts and reactions were familiar and far too relatable. I also loved how Evemer’s perception of Kadou changed from when he first briefly met the prince, to hearing about him after an incident, and then actually getting to know him (and falling in love). In general, Rowland gave everyone life in multiple types of complex relationships, all the prominent characters were fleshed out and grounded to one another and the world.

I also loved the magic system. It’s a very light fantasy but the descriptions of the touch-taste magic that Kadou and a few other characters have at different proficiencies was fascinating and I appreciated how it’s linked to the culture of Arasht and the importance of currency there. On the whole, the emphasis on the value of currency, on how trust in trade and merchants is a cornerstone of the country was really interesting to think about and see.

The only reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me is because of the conspiracy plotline and how the ending falls a little flat. While this came across primarily as a capital-R-category-Romance, the conspiracy plotline took a huge backseat after the inciting incident. Whenever it returned to the forefront it was brief and limited and mainly served to develop Kadou and Evemer’s relationship—which I don’t usually mind in romances, but here it felt like it was meant to have a bit more prominence and instead was often forgotten. This plotline read as an afterthought and felt like it was developed and resolved as such as well. If you’re looking for intricate or complex intrigue, you might be left a bit disappointed. The ending itself also fell a little flat after the otherwise wonderful build and development. It kind of petered out. It almost feels like it was left somewhat open to allow for a potential follow-up—a spin-off, sequel, or a bonus epilogue/short stories. The world has an openness to it that I can definitely see possibilities for more stories from it, and would 100% welcome.

But my minor gripes aside, overall this was absolutely beautiful in the prose, the characters, the relationships, and the world.

This was a super enjoyable read. I will say it wasn't the best written for me as far as the fantasy aspects go and it wasn't exactly the slow-burn I hoped for but to say I didn't have 100% fun reading it would be a lie lol. I'll be writing a longer review on my blog soon! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5/5 Cups of coffee from me, rounded up to 4!

I didn’t really know what to expect when I requested A Taste of Gold and Iron, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is so amazing! It is set in a sort of Ottoman empire, with low fantasy element of some people being able to determine metals by touch, and some people from another country are able to discern the truth. It’s very low key, but it does enhance the plot and I love the idea of this magic that seems normal to everyone, something you’re born with.

The world is also very queer and I’m here for it. Non binary çe/çir pronouns are used, and most characters are queer, we even have some ace rep 🙌🏻! I absolutely loved reading about a world where queerness is normal, it felt very natural and yet as an ideal we should strive for as a society.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is very character driven, and we have amazing characters! The plot is never boring though, as there is a mystery going on and there’s plenty of danger for the characters to be found in. But I just love love love the characters! Prince Kadou is my absolute favorite, he suffers from anxiety attacks and is convinced he is cowardly because of that, and struggles to be decisive. The anxiety rep is very well done, you really get the sense of dread that impacts daily life… he loves his sister the sultan and his newborn niece, and where others think he’s vying for the throne, he really is not and would hate to rule. There is a bit of a clash in the beginning of the book with this theme, and it means the beginning of trouble - and the beginning of the introduction of Evemer, who is introduced as his new bodyguard. Well, more than a body guard as he’s also an attendent and scribe and basically he can do everything. Ok that might just be me loving him, he does have flaws. He initially dislikes Kadou a lot, but is too professional to let it show (at least he thinks so, no one is fooled), but as he gets to know him there is a slow romance brewing… I loved the slowness and how they show they care about each other, and how mature their relationship is (I really should read more adult because I really like not having all the angst, only a little bit of it lol). The side characters were also amazing, and I never thought I could say I like Tadek but I do now. Ooh and the tropes! Swearing oaths to each other is the best. The only one bed trope! And kissing to avert suspicion! I’m here for it. The spice is saved for last, and for me as an ace who loves romance it was a perfect balance.

Also the political side of the story is intruiging, especially when it seems they can trust no one and reading about how counterfeits destabilize the kingdom was actually interesting lol! The plot and mystery is very engaging and keeps you om edge, though the characters and the epic banter are absolutely what I’m here for.

I received a free ebook in exchange for my honest review. Though I have preordered this book now too, because I need it in my life.

So this book was not at all like what I expected!

The romance was great, I really like the trope involved & how the relationship ends up. The portrayal of Kadou’s anxiety was extremely well done & very authentic in my option/experience. Finally I found the progressive world to be refreshing, with the usual gender & sexuality stereotypes found in medieval based worlds completely gone.

However, there were quite a few issues for me that I found hard to overlook after a while. The pacing was very slow especially in the middle & not a lot actually happened. The plot was flimsy at best with the villains having no motive for the crimes, it all started with what I thought would be an intriguing political story line full of twists & turns but ended up completely flopping with no depth. It’s almost like the author couldn’t work out how to finish the idea, so just went with the most obvious route & forced everything to fit.

The world building was non-existent, beyond being told it is based on the Ottoman Empire before starting, outside of the clothes & shoes, there are no real indicators of what the world is like. We get a few descriptions of the current weather & some floors, but that’s pretty much it. Also it’s thrown in at one point that there’s 2 moons, but not entirely sure why we are told that as it’s not in any way relevant or influences the story.

The constant internal monologue of both Kadou & Evemer got very tedious very quickly. I lost track of the amount of times you read about them liking the other one but thinking the other one doesn’t like them back & deciding to “nobly” decide not to do anything.

Finally, this is marketed as fantasy, which I guess it is in the loosest possible way. The fantasy element (the touch-tasting), is so minor it may as well not have been included. It could have been a really interesting idea, but again seemed to fall flat with very little real need for it to be included.

Thank you to Tor & Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

A rich fantasy world inspired by Turkish culture and a queer romance between a prince and his bodyguard at its center? Sounds wonderful, sounds fun, sounds like a must read for me! I haven't read anything by Alexandra Rowland before so I went into "A Taste of Gold and Iron" with very few expectations. It turned out to be a charming story with interesting ideas and relying on a lot of tropes I enjoy but that in the end failed to really engage me for a lot of reasons.

It tells the story of Kadou, the little brother to the sultan of Arasht, and his new personal attendant and bodyguard Evemer, assigned to him when Kadou is being blamed for very unfortunate events leading to the death of innocent soldiers.Tigether they investigate a break-in that turns out to be much more than it first seemed to be. Their romance, which is central to the book, is very slow burn, though that's not a complaint because I love those the most and they play with lots of aforementioned fun tropes. It's a very very mild spin on an enemies-to-lovers romance, there's only one bed for them both to sleep in at some point, they have to kiss once to not get caught while spying... and so on and so forth, you get the gist. Quite frankly, it reads very fanfictiony at times and it took me out of the story a lot even though I actually like a lot of these tropes.
Maybe it's because the characters as a whole are rather one-dimensional and not very complex, and while I liked them just fine, I was never really invested in them and their story which is a bit of a problem in a book that centers romance and relationships. I did enjoy the focus on mental illness, anxiety disorder, panic attacks with Kadou's character and the struggles that come with it. Other than that, Kadou is just way too perfect and nice and wonderful to be believable - he's a prince, but of course he rejects every privilege that comes with it and the reasons for that are never really explained. It's just because he's woke, I guess? Evemer is the classic honorable stoic dude who lives for his duties, and I enjoy these types of characters. He's not much more than that, though. The side characters are mostly forgettable, sadly.

The plot is very simple and suffers immensely from a lack of actual world building and the absolutely goofy, borderline cartoonish villains with no actual reason for what they do. It's obvious from page 1 that the plot is only really a backdrop for the romance, and it's almost laughable how quickly the central conflicts are solved. If you want an engaging plot with your romance than you have to look elsewhere. It's really only there to get Kadou and Evemer from one tropey scene to the next tropey scene. Also, it's just not very exciting - the main crime is all about counterfeiting coins, the mystery around it cannot be called an actual mystery because it's so obvious it makes all the characters look a little stupid, and the resolution is barely worth a throwaway chapter to the author. There are some decisions made by the characters in the book that didn't make sense to me either - like characters not immediately acting on new crucial information in favor of some fun banter scenes to further the romance, or literally anything the villains do at any point.

The dialogue feels mostly very contemporary for a fantasy novel with medieval-ish setting, the supposed banter between the characters is sometimes a little cringey. This is, I guess, a general gripe I had with the writing. It's probably just that Rowland's writing doesn't fit this specific reader. I was a little confused by the constant pov switching between Kadou and Evemer during chapters, with no clear indication and often written in a way that didn't make it clear that it's the other character's perspective now. Which also tells you how distinctive their voices are. The pacing is incredibly slow, too, and yes, I do love slow burn romances and slow burn plotlines when done well but this book is just way too long for its actual content.

The world building is mostly nonexistent, but what little there is is thrown at the reader in a kind of noncontextual way, never really explaining anything, relying on the reader to figure out what all these words and titles and concepts mean on their own. It's once again obvious that this is primarily a romance book, and the world is built around this romance - I'm sure that the author put a lot of thought into this world but it's just not on the page. This also leads to weird inconcistencies like an actual, legal wedding apparently only needing two people to exchange vows real quick all alone in a corner of some room yet the annulment or divorce of said marriage requiring a shit ton of bureaucratic work and at least one priest. That just makes no sense, and there is nothing in the text even trying to make it make sense. There is some magic in the book, basically truth sensing and touch tasting, that are never fully explained either - and considering the title of the book plays on the magic of touch tasting, which one of our main characters possesses too, it's surprising how little space it actually takes in the novel.

Overall, this is a book with lots of potential and interesting ideas. It's diverse, too, which is always a major plus, even though one of the side characters is more of a caricature of a queer man than an actual, you know, queer character. The writing wasn't for me and it relied too much on tropes, with a weak and unexciting plot, laughable villains and lacking worldbuilding. I'll most likely be in the minority here with my opinion, though. Generally, if it were about 100 to 150 pages shorter I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more. As it is, I can't give this more than 2 stars.

This book is so much more than a magic system, it’s so much more than a royal romance. This book is about hurting and wanting, about anxiety and faith, about love, hope, hurt and hate. The running of a kingdom, with all the economics and politics that goes along with it. Discussions of trade, currency, and diplomatic rights. This world is so real it bleeds. It bleeds the aching tiredness that comes from anxiety. The aching fear that is constantly present. It bleeds love, it bleeds and care hope.

Kadou is second born, his sister - Zehila - is Sultan, and her daughter Eyne is quite possibly the cutest thing he’s ever seen. Kadou is back up, never meant to sit the throne, and he is so so so so godly grateful for that. He plays the part he was born for. He loves his people fiercely and fears his power even more, and he tries, he tries so goddam hard. But he fumbles his politics and his words, he is so afraid. His mistakes, his fears can cost lives.

Newly assigned to the core guards Evemer has no illusions about his prince, he watches this fidgety ball of fear. He wants to shake him, to make him do his duty. To comb his hair and tell him its okay. He wants to help, but the problem with help is that it has to be both offered and asked for.

This book has the most realistic representation of living with anxiety that I have ever read or watched. It shows the helplessness, the hatred, the weakness, and also the strength. The frustration of so much fear, how you need to be wanted, needed - but the thought of disappointing makes everything even worse. This book is absolutely soul destroying and affirming, adorable enemies to lovers, a fantasy world so real you forget its fantasy, a magic system so well integrated that you forget its there. Politics, intrigue, love, loss, assassins and espionage.

aaanddd we have reached the point of my review where I just start incoherantly rambling about how you really just have to read it and door hinge pins and stuff

I don’t know what to say… This was one of my most anticipated 2022 releases and it was such a let-down. *Shakes fist at beautiful cover*

This is going to be a long rant, sorry!

As per the blurb, Prince Kadou commits a faux-pas, which results in him getting a new attendant/body-guard, Evemer, and having to prove himself to his sister, the sultan. To do this, he takes on the investigation of an attempted burglary and counterfeiting.

This is advertised as fantasy, but honestly the fantasy element is barely there and plays such a small part, that I wouldn’t even take it into account.

What I did appreciate was the representation and portrayal of chronic anxiety. Kadou suffers from it, but although this fantasy world is very progressive about gender, sexuality and feminism, mental health…not so much. So it’s a huge struggle for him, and I found that quite believable.

I wasn’t sold on the characters, though. Kadou was exaggeratedly thoughtful and nice, it was really repetitive. Evemer was oh-so-serious and seriously judgemental! Unfortunately, the writing was a lot of telling, not showing. We spent so much time in their heads, reading about their repetitive and never-ending thoughts. Even though the two of them were in each other’s company a lot, I didn’t feel like they had enough proper scenes together, enough reason to really fall in love. So I couldn’t fall in love with their love, couldn’t pine with them or feel any tension.

Overall, I didn’t really like the writing. It was just so contemporary, especially in the dialogue. Yes, it’s fiction, but modern language in a medieval-like setting just doesn’t work for me. There were also a lot of weird lines that made no sense to me, for instance:

“I don’t care. All right, I do a bit, but I’m working on it and that’s my problem. By the way, you need to give me a day off, I’ve got some business down in the city to take care of. That’s not the point. Point is, you can do whatever the hell you want, and you don’t owe me shit.”

I mean…what was the point of the ‘by the way’?! No link whatsoever to the rest of it. And this is a good example of the sort of quality of the language and complexity of the writing. This needs a lot more editing (including for typos and grammatical errors, like ‘all right’ instead of ‘alright’).

In terms of worldbuilding there isn’t much to say. We get random bits of information here and there that are presented as if we should know this - like using a 3rd pronoun for non-binary characters (which was a great idea, but it took me a while to be sure that that’s what it was); or suddenly revealing that this fantasy world has two moons (no thought given to how this could possibly affect the planet, it just sounds cool to have two moons, so why not, right?).

Finally, the plot. Left this last, because there will be a lot of spoilers, but overall the plot was rather unexciting for me, because not a lot happens (especially for a 500-page book) and the mystery isn’t really a mystery. It’s really obvious who’s responsible and the villains are honestly like Kronk and Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove, except they’re neither funny nor endearing. Plus, counterfeiting coins? Not exactly riveting…

Spoilers!
I really struggled to find things believable. Characters acted in the oddest ways. For example, there is an attack at the palace and the sultana doesn’t know who to trust, so they all go and hide in Evemer’s mother’s house… A sultan doesn’t have a safe-house for emergencies?!

Another time they returned from a mission where they discovered who’s responsible for the counterfeiting, but instead of immediately reporting to the prince and sultan, they spend the evening teasing Evemer and talking about relationships, then they go to sleep and only discuss the mission the next day.

Later on, Kadou and Evemer are kidnapped, and the villains just allow them to withdraw into a corner of the room and have a quiet chat, basically plotting their survival. Isn’t that nice? Not only that, but then they are locked up and left without a guard at the door, allowing them to conveniently escape (not before they wait for their new ally to go get changed). After the escape, do they get backup to go capture the villains before they can escape? Nope, too tired, they’ll do it in the morning, kindly allowing the villains to flee.

We’re also expected to just accept that it’s enough to exchange vows to be married, without a priest, without a clerk of some kind, but if you want to annul said marriage or divorce, you cannot do it without a priest and (for divorce) a clerk.

I thought a lot of things were the way they were just to get the characters into a certain situation, without caring if it makes sense or is believable.

So while I'm really grateful to have received an ARC, it’s safe to say that this book wasn’t for me and I didn’t enjoy it, sadly.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

While I generally enjoyed the story, characters and world building, I found it all just a bit too slow for my liking.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED this book! First and foremost, I have never felt so instantly comforted by a story or by the characters within a story, this has without a doubt firmly secured a special place in my heart.
Every single character was likeable, every single one! This book is very obviously a character-driven story and I loved that so much (we still have another fun main plot carrying us through the story, but the core plot focuses on the characters that drive it) they're all complex people with desires and fears, they all have complicated relationships. I could happily read a 500k word book of all the characters just in a room talking, they're that likeable!
This story ventured into every corner of my heart, it made me laugh and cry and giggle (yes, giggle) and I loved every single moment of it. There is quite literally not a single part of this story that I didn't enjoy.
One of the main characters (Kadou) has chronic anxiety and I thought it was done perfectly. A lot of the time, when books have a focus on mental illness, they try to show it in all its horrors, but in doing so only make it distressing and triggering. A Taste of Gold and Iron shows the realities but without making it into something distressing to read about, yet still tugging at your heart. In fantasy, without this label of 'anxiety', it is harder still to delve into it in such depth, but Rowland does a fantastic job. They separate it, with effortlessly beautiful words, as a medical condition (but of the mind) and prove to us, the reader, and to the other characters in the book that it isn't cowardice or weakness. I cannot explain in my flimsy words how incredibly it's done, so I guess you'll just have to go and read it!
The writing itself is phenomenal, there are paragraphs upon paragraphs of gorgeous descriptions of stunning sights and heart-wrenching moments. Every line made me feel something.
There is so much queer and genderqueer rep that is normalised in the world and it made me so very happy to read about. The main relationship is an achillean, enemies-to-lovers, bodyguard romance... Literally what more could you ever possibly want? I love slow-burn romances full of yearning and this book delivered in every way.
Their story was truly beautiful to read about and I adored watching it all unravel and become something far too great to ever just be ink on paper. This story grew in my heart into something greater than itself and it lives there now, in me. I will carry this book with me because I found such astonishing comfort in it. It whisked me away to this incredible Ottoman Empire-inspired world brimming with magic and secrets and love. Found family is the most heartwarming trope that has ever existed and therefore that, too, provided so much comfort. I honestly can't tell whether I'd rather hug the characters of have them hug me!
I will be revisiting this book very often and I cannot recommend it enough. Go preorder right now (or if you're reading this review after it's come out: go buy it right now!) it's worth every single penny. Thank you Alexandra Rowland for writing something so beautiful that I know will comfort and heal so many people.

Gosh this was the slowest of slow burn!!
Must admit it took me a little while to get into it, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be a fan.
However, eventually I started to slowly fall in love with the characters as they fell for one another. I loved the dynamic between Kadou and Evemer. Both quite closed off in different ways, but gradually opening up to one another.

The world building was very interesting, kind of ancient civilisation vibes. There was lots of beautiful descriptions of the environment, clothing and characters which made it really easy to visualise. I also very much appreciated that it was a queen in charge, and that the captain of the guard was a badass female too!

I do kinda wish there’d been a little more at the end, maybe an epilogue of some sorts…Even though it was a long book, the end seemed quite sudden. It felt like there was still a couple of things unresolved. Overall however, I really enjoyed the story and spending time with these characters.

Really glad I received an ARC of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Taste Of Gold And Iron was a good read, yet sadly it didn't really work for me.
The first half of the book was a bit too slow for my liking, and the worldbuilding was lacking a bit too much for me, and I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I wanted to be.
The first half of the book was very slow and not much was happening, and at one point I was close to DNF it. I'm glad I didn't though.
The second half was a bit more action-packed, and a lot of things happened, I just wish it was more (if that makes sense!) I also felt like I was getting closer to the characters in the end, and I loved seeing Evemer and Kadou's relationship slowly develop from dislike to love.

I loved how diverse this book was! There was so many different queer reps, and they were all done right, which is a huge plus!

Something had also happened to the ARC I received. Lots of words were missing, there were weird numbers and signs everywhere, and it was confusing me, which might be why I didn't connect with it the way I had hoped. I want to give it another chance when it's released though!

All in all I'll give this book 3 stars! I think a lot of people should read it, and I think a lot of people are going to love it!

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a compelling and fun tale set in heavily Middle-Eastern inspired world with elements of low fantasy. The primary plot, the romance between Prince Kadou and his newly assigned guard, Evemer, is an absolute treat for anyone who enjoys the slow burn of a couple first having to even like each other before thinking about catching feelings, miscommunication and tons of pining. Kadou and Evemer, as the POV characters, are also definitely the standouts as we see their inner thoughts, with myself in particular sympathising and relating to Kadou quite a lot. The world the book is set in is wonderfully made, perfect for anyone looking for a change from standard Medieval Europe-inspired historical settings. I can only say I'd love to learn more about it, potentially through another book set there!

While I felt the romance was very well done, the secondary main plot definitely took a backseat to it which meant it never felt completely developed or satisfying as it primarily was used to further the relationship. The pacing was also a little off as I felt the first half of the book was quite slow whereas the second half was quite fast, but ultimately this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Kadou and Evemer have definitely become one of my favourite book couples and I already can't wait to re-read this sometime in the future to see them again!

A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON is a fantasy romance with a political intrigue subplot about debasing the coinage. It was pitched to me as perfect for fans of WINTER'S ORBIT and A MARVELLOUS LIGHT, and it fits perfectly in with those two books in terms of sheer fun romance full of angst due to two people never really knowing how to say what they want.

If "kiss for cover" is a favourite trope of yours, then this is a book for you. It has not one but two kiss for covers, to tip the "I really like you but I'm not going to say anything because I don't think you live me" couple further down the path of no return. Also good for fans of "I can't follow through on my feelings because I'm going to have to make a political marriage", yearning (so much yearning), and kneeling.

As you might have gathered, this is an absolute romp of a story chock full of romance tropes. It also takes place over at least several months, so the slide from strangers to affection to full on romance felt much more realistic to me than if it had been over a few short days.

I raced through it, having really struggled the week before to read. But for this book, I made sure I had the time because I didn't want to put it down. While the chapters are very long (it's a ~460 page book with only 16 chapters), that didn't slow me down the way it usually would and I found myself very glad of my "I read in blocks of 5 chapters" rule because it meant I got to read more in one go.

A common criticism of bodyguard romances is that they rarely tackle the power imbalance issue. I was a bit worried about that going in (the UK tagline does not help and doesn't feel very accurate.) However, while I felt that A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON could have gone further into it, I liked that it was clear from the start that the guards were given very firm "you don't ever have to say yes" talks (and this was brought up by the commanding officer later when the feelings started to get real.) Plus there was a hint at the end that the pair (well, Evender being the long-term planning one) were making plans for transitioning to a future where they were both politicians rather than a prince and a guard.

I'm going to start this review with the things I loved about this book (and there were a lot!)

- The world is so expansive and well thought out
- I love a strong male protagonist whose anxiety doesn't stop him from being a hero
- the tension between Kadou and Evermer was so excellent, I think their chemistry in the middle of the book was so brilliant I couldn't stop reading to find out what happened next
- All queer fantasy stories are so special
- I love that even though the relationship is about a relationship between two men we still got excellent female (and non binary) characters like Kadou's sister

I loved all these little details but here are some of the reasons it didn't quite make 5 stars for me
- I really wish the ending was more conclusive as it seemed to be building to something that then doesn't happen as if to tempt you into buying the sequel.
- I wish this was edited slightly better as there is a big section at the end that feels very flat compared to the rest of the high stakes intensity of the rest of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book.

Sadly, it was really not for me and I had to DNF at about 150 pages.

My main issue was that while the world has a lot of potential, the worldbuilding is not done well so I have no idea what is going on.
To me, it felt like this book started in the middle of the story without actually giving information that I would have needed to understand the plot. I don’t know if the final version of the book will have a glossary, but without one, it was very hard to follow the plot.

There are a lot of names and places thrown at you but… I don’t know what any of them are?
On top of that, the first 100 pages were so slow, it felt like it was all court politics and intrigues which I didn’t care about when I don’t even know anything about the court.

The two main characters also fell flat for me so far. While I did appreciate that Kadou is struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, I found him rather bland in general, same goes for Evemer.
It also didn’t help that the book constantly switched POV between the two, and it wasn’t always immediately clear whose head we’re in because their voices were to similar.

I also struggled with the chapter length. I know it is a personal preference, but 30-40 pages per chapter is just too long for me, especially when you have POV switches all the time.

Overall, I do think this book has potential and I appreciated the mental health, transgender/non-binary and queer rep in general, but I really can’t say that I enjoyed anything about this book, which is why I decided to DNF it.

When a disastrous hunting party kills two of his guards and sets him at odds with a powerful nobleman, Prince Kadou throws himself into the investigation of a break-in at the Shipbuilders Guild. Supported by his new – decidedly disapproving but handsome – bodyguard Evemer, and a vibrant cast of supporting characters, Kadou must prove his loyalty to all of Araşt and, perhaps most of all, to himself.

I had a great time with this book.

Kadou and Evemer are delightfully at odds from the beginning. Their conflicting points of view quickly establish a lot of the relevant worldbuilding for this book, as well as building a sense of tension. It was deeply satisfying to watch them learn to trust one another – and themselves – as they’re dragged deeper into the investigation.

It’s easy in books like these – political romances – to isolate the protagonists and leave them unable to turn to anyone else, but Rowland does the opposite. Kadou and Evemer have people they love and trust, people they can fall back on who have their own unique relationships and personalities. As a result, this feels a lot more rounded as a book than many of the political romances I’ve read. This is also a queer book in many ways; the main relationship is mlm, but supporting characters are nonbinary, other-gendered, asexual, potentially aromantic, pansexual, bisexual and more.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but this is definitely a book I’ll be reading again.

Tenía curiosidad por volver a leer algo más de Alexandra Rowland, una autora que me convenció con el poco conocido A Conspiracy of Truths, del que aún tengo pendiente la continuación. Pero, por desgracia, A Taste of Gold and Iron no ha cubierto mis expectativas.


La fantasía del libro es prácticamente un apéndice vestigial, que no tiene apenas importancia en la narración. Hay personas con capacidad de distinguir al tacto si las monedas son auténticas o falsas u obtener más información sobre los metales. También hay otras personas que son capaces de saber si alguien está diciendo la verdad. Y ahí se queda la cosa, no hay más magia ni explicación. Es un poco deus ex machina que le hace falta a la autora para justificar algunos giros de guion y punto.

Tampoco me preocuparía tanto ese aspecto si el resto del libro fuera interesante, pero está todo tan basado en la “imprevisible” historia de amor entre los dos protagonistas que las conspiraciones de fondo o el mundo en que se desarrollan la historia pasan a un plano alejadísimo. Además, hasta muy avanzado el libro, es difícil sentir empatía por los protagonistas, ya que uno es (o aparenta ser) tremendamente pusilánime y el otro es un obseso del orden, cuya vida giraba en torno al cumplimiento del deber. Que luego cambian, pero la verdad es que al principio dan ganas de estrellarlos contra una pared.

Y no es que le haga ascos a una historia de amor, pero la autora recurre a los tópicos más manidos que os podáis imaginar, el beso para ocultarse de los enemigos que resulta llevar más carga de la esperada, los remordimientos por pensar que has obligado a la otra persona a hacer algo que no quería cuando lo estaba deseando, la abstinencia forzada por las circunstancias, el antiguo amante que deviene en colaborador… vamos, es que no falta ningún topicazo.

A Taste of Gold and Iron ha resultado ser una novela perfectamente prescindible.

Beautiful slow burn of a story, the characters are beautifully written and the storyline is magical. Cannot recommend it enough!