Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Taste of Gold and Iron

A stunning fantasy romance. In this story we see stoic, principled Evemer assigned as bodyguard to the anxious Prince Kadou. They soon uncover a conspiracy plot at the behest of Kadou’s Sultan sister, Zeliha (not a particular convoluted mystery, but entertaining nonetheless) and in the process fall in love with each other.

The romance was the main plot and it was sooo good. I’m a sucker for a slowburn idiots to lovers and it was executed so perfectly here. These two were so gone for each other. If you like some good mutual pining, this is the book for you.

The worldbuilding was lush and vivid, reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire and full of politics. The secondary characters were fun and realistically flawed and diverse. This is a queernorm world and it was delightful to read how casually queer everyone was. Despite some moments of peril, the whole story felt cosy and soft.

This book also somehow made economics interesting to me and that is talent.

I have no idea if there’s a sequel in the works but I would definitely like to read stories about Tadek and Zeliha.

Content Warnings

nefariousbee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You know how past a certain point it feels like it's not enough to read a book, you need to eat it?
This is mine.
Easily my favourite romance novel of all time.

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This one came across my radar through one of my many book-related listservs that I'm on. I honestly cannot remember which one now, but I do know that the theme was along the lines of "upcoming steamy fantasy reads." And I am a sucker for those. Plus, sometimes I really do want a standalone adventure, which this promised as well. After a fairly long wait at the library, it was finally my turn!

Kadou is the younger brother of the Queen, quite happy to not be in a leadership position of that caliber himself, but also not entirely sure what his place should be (and his efforts to reflect well on his sister cause him a *lot* of anxiety). When a "misunderstanding" with the body-father of the Queen's new baby leads to a tragedy, Kadou scrambles to re-prove his loyalty. Along with his newly appointed bodyguard, Evemer, he takes lead on investigating a recent break-in at one of the nation's guilds, and its connection to a recent spate of counterfeit coins. As they get closer to uncovering a deeply-run conspiracy, Kadou and Evemer realize that their connection to each other may run more deeply than either expected it would as well. But there are quite a few barriers at play that could keep them apart, in particular the social structures that dictate their stations and roles, plus their individual nerves/personalities that might prevent them from sharing their true feelings with each other (even though their actions speak loudly).

Well, Rowland wrote a truly wonderful standalone fantasy. The socio-cultural details in the world-building are stellar. I love the feminist vibes that come through the matriarchal claim to the child (and father being just a body-father if there's not a marriage behind it). What a way to give power to the people bearing the actual child (from whom it’s traditionally taken). And the easy acceptance of beyond-the-binary genders and a variety of sexual orientations is a scifi-fantasy trend that I will always support. I was also fascinated by the bodyguard social station, for lack of a better description, which sets them as a person that not only bodily protects their charge, but does many of the jobs that a valet would do as well, plus others. It's like an all-in-one prestige role, with a heavy reciprocal expectation of respect and honor from the royal person being "served," that is ingrained into the society in a way that protects that bodyguard's loyalty from being taken advantage of. Overall, I thought that Rowland did a nice job handling the romance here, considering the potential "icky" feels that can come from a romance with such wildly different stations and power dynamics.

Speaking of the romance... This was an excruciating slow burn. Despite the fact that I thought some of the base-explanation reasons for the changing feelings of Evemer and Kadou toward each other were perhaps a bit flimsy (they came in with some very strong preconceptions that I felt could have used a little more depth in being disproved), once I decided to go ahead and buy into them, I was fully invested in them getting together and the tension between them was drawn out to *perfection.* I sensed a bit of fanfic style in the writing, just FYI if that's your thing or not. But anyways, it was smooth and smart and agonizing in how badly I wanted Kadow and Evemer together when it finally happened (the earnest and stoic “opposites” they embodied felt like a great match). Two notes here. One: that kiss in the alley had me *feeling things.* Two: while the romantic/sexual tension was spectacular, the pay-off was less explicit (until one scee right at the end) than I had hoped for. And there are plot-based reasons why, but still. I had expected a bit more open door spiciness across the board.

And beyond the romance, the political intrigue and conspiracy plot that gave the romance a story-framework were well developed. The complexity of the details and the way it played out reminded me a bit of a favorite from last year, Winter's Orbit, though obviously more fantasy than sci-fi here. But the vibes were so similar, and I had on par connections with each m/m romance pairing in the given setting...which is to say, I couldn't (can't) stop thinking about them. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Tadek as a primary side character. He added depth to both Kadou and Evemer as characters, plus some needed humor and "shake-it-up" vibes to the overall story. Finally, Kadou had some very serious anxiety issues and panic attack-like moments. Be aware that it could be triggering, and in the context of this world he thinks of it as "cowardice." While both Tadek and Evemer were wonderfully supportive about it, which was great, and no one ever disparages Kadou for it, there was also no real attempt to treat or reframe it, which would have been a nice addition.

In the end, Kadou and Evemer dug themselves into my heart. The “the future is still coming but we’ll face it together and for now enjoy each other, but with a plan/responsibly-ish” way it ended was perfect for them. And it left things both satisfyingly wrapped-up and hopefully open-ended in a way that is really fulfilling for a couple that you are rooting for. And like I said, the scheming plot gave high drama and lots of action/adventure, which alongside the slow burn romance development, had me emotionally on the edge of my seat for the duration of the reading experience. This one hit the spot.

“A life was a terrifying burden to carry.”

“Reciprocity was a thing you had to learn. Someone had to tell you, first, that you deserved to be treated well, before you knew it for yourself.”

“The presence of a stone wall makes the open parts of the field that it surrounds more meaningful.”

“That was reciprocity - reaching out your hand in the dark, offering it, and hoping someone reached back.”

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sarahna's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

4.75 stars!

CW/Tropes provided by author.

I absolutely loved this book so this will probably end up being a spoiler filled rave review. It came into my life at the exact right time because I've been having some rough months and it really is as the author said in a podcast: the perfect chocolate cake of tropes that they like and it happens to be perfect for me as well.

The world building is superb and I didn't mind how the story threw me in making me fend for myself. I loved how queer and trans people just existed and there isn't one instance where their accepted existance gets explained or pointed out. They're just there and no on page homophobia occurrs either which is such a relief and refreshing!! I hope this becomes the new standard. The neo pronouns used for enby people were easy to understand, there's asexual rep as well and I personally head canon Evemer as Demisexual but that might just be me, a fellow queer demi person.

The plot was gripping and the pacing was engaging as well. I really liked the magic system of touch tasting in this story which reminded me a lot of synesthesia. The reason why it isn't a full 5 star book for me is because it was a bit underused in my opinion. I would've loved to see Kadou use his magic more but the instances he did make use of it were great. Of course the iron door hinges were the most memorable and it was fascinating to see how he imprinted a new memory and thus taste to iron.

My favorite part has to be how it subverted lots of tropes such as the way Tadek as a character was handled. At first I feared that the romance would feature him as Kadou's second love interest and make the already messy power imbalance between Kadou and Evemer even messier. That didn't happen though and Tadek wasn't just dropped once he wasn't with Kadou anymore either. The exes actually became friends and I grew to love Tadek's sassy banter and his amazing eye for fashion.

Evemer's character arc/growth was a stand out feature for me as well. In the beginning he's described as a stonewall, stoic and barely verbal aside from him acknowledging his lord/his higness when ordered to do things. He disliked Kadou for being flighty, negligent and didn't protest much when Kadou referred to his chronic anxiety as cowardice. Of course Kadou's not even close to a coward and his anxiety is useful in certain situation as well which is rare to see in books (his hypervigilance saved him from being attacked in his sleep and he's used to high stress so stressful situations don't throw him off unlike others). Evemer learns to appreciate Kadou's vulnerability and even strives to become more like him. It was beautiful to see how he started to talk more (thanks to Kadou coaxing it out of him) and the fantasy therapy at the temple gave a great insight to Evemer's inner conflict and showed how he's changed since the start as well. Also love the fact that this stoic stonewall isn't nearly as dominant and assertive as he would've been in other stories. No toxic masculinity to be seen here. He goes on and on about wanting to go on his knees in front of Kadou to press his forehead to his hands in act of fealty. He's so easily undone by Kadou's kisses and is just utterly smitten by him.

The romance was very slow paced but I love a good slow burn. Someone has said that this is a less dark version of the captive prince trilogy and I fully agree. I saw lots of parallels actually and as a huge fan of the trilogy it was greatly appreciated. I'll use bullet points to state some of my highlights because this review is already way too long:

-The YEARNING. It has to be written in caps because there's so much of it. The way Evemer yearns for Kadou and how Kadou keeps questioning their tension because Evermer's too stoney to read... delicious.
-Kissing to prevent being caught spying. This scene was so well written, their tension is hot and Evemer's clumzy inexperience and Kadou's assertiveness and wanting for more was just top notch.
-Hand holding/touching at Evemer's mother's house. The tenderness and yearning...
-The scene right after the sultan put Evemer on his knees and made him swear an oath for her. The confusing attraction and the way he had the urge to swear yet another oath to Kadou to clarify that he's the one for him and the tender face touching...
-The whole inn scene. Neck kisses and a make out session to hide their identity from the main villain. Genious.
-Kadou suggesting an impromptu wedding to save Evemer's life and mentioning an annulment once they're out of the predicament but secretly wishing that it was the real deal instead.
-The spicy palace garden scene once they finally talked about their feelings for each other???? It was everything and more that I wanted.

I could go on and on about how much I love their love and how all the side characters are fleshed out and not just afterthoughts as well. This is a warm hug in book form that I'll definitively return to. Highly recommend checking out the author's fanfic that feels like an epilogue and provides some more fun Tadek/Evemer banter and heartfelt, sexy letters. I have to check out more by this author!

Content Warnings

ninjamuse's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

readundancies's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In March 2017, Nintendo rolled out one of the best games of the decade in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Me, being an absolute diehard fan of the Legend of Zelda series, thought they knocked it out of the park because here was a game where the stalwartly silent Link was a right and proper bodyguard appointed to his Princess Zelda who was stubborn and troubled and drowning in her duties to the crown. It was the bodyguard trope done right in the video game world.

And so now let’s fast forward to today, or rather August 2022 as a whole, where Alexandra Rowland has released these 500 pages of romance fantasy goodness. And yes, I say romance fantasy not fantasy romance intentionally because the romance dominates. The romance is everything. And it’s because the bodyguard trope is well and alive here in A Taste of Gold and Iron and it’s done right. So fantastically right, especially when I’ve already tried a bodyguard romance this year and it failed miserably at the time.

Instead, I present this to you.

Because this was just stunning.

Simply put, stunning. Stunningly written, stunningly queer and stunningly slow burn, which is all I could’ve really asked for.

This is a romance fantasy in a world where magic exists as a means to touch-taste and verify truth, and we see it within a counterfeiting conspiracy both as a means to verify said counterfeit coins and a means to ferret out lies during the investigation. Now, the investigation though it follows as the main arc of the plot, is not terribly nuanced or complex. Likewise, the worldbuilding even though it’s interesting and has some solid foundations, is not nearly fleshed out in the way I would’ve preferred.

But at the end of the day, this is a slower paced, politically inclined and character driven tale of queer romance, and I implore you to pick it up.

Because this story is unapologetically queer and in a way that not only feels natural, but achieves it in such an effortless and seamless manner. It’s beyond normalized in this world, in fact, it’s the best damn part of the worldbuilding if I do say so myself. And it doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t have any stigma or prejudice attached to it at any point in the novel, and we need more fiction like this in the real world because there is not nearly enough it currently in existence. This book doesn’t manage queerness at all, it’s just set free to flourish and grow in whatever manner the characters living in the story see fit. It’s really refreshing to see and I think it’s done so well.

By page 50, the political manoeuvring is already well in place, and yes, it’s rather predictable as to how things play out, but it’s the how of the matter, the journey if you will which both Kadou and Evemer take that makes it all worth it. Because the characterization is top-tier.

Kadou is a picture of self-doubt, thrust into the spotlight by nature of his birthright and absolutely dreading every moment of it. Evemer in comparison has a very tight control on his emotions. I compare it to my all-time favourite portrayal of a bodyguard, the silent and stoic Link and Evemer was giving hardcore Link vibes, just an older version and with a lot more venom in the limited speech he used, at least at the beginning. Evemer is extremely opinionated and stubborn where Kadou is constantly overthinking his actions due to social anxiety. They were a wonderful dichotomy and their relationship dynamic was already fraught with tension upon their introduction to one another. I didn’t even really like Tadek at first - he was leaving such a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s entirely intentional, Rowland manages to write in a way that frames your mind based on how Evemer describes Tadek in order to show both characters mindsets initally and then allows them to flourish and grow as characters. And Tadek definietly grows on you, albeit like a fungus, but that’s the point.

Kadou especially is character that warrants a little more analysis. He’s a character of a completely different type of destruction than I’m used to and gravitate towards and that made it hard for me to understand him at times, and I loved him for it. He hyperfocused on past conversations, picking them apart to carefully cater every instance of when he’d made a mistake, a verbal faux pas, an error, whether properly perceived or not. It was frustrating to be in his mind because he cared so much, too much and he succumbed to his demons and anxieties very frequently. And he was self aware of it all too, which added this extra layer to contend with when he interacted with others. At first, his perception of rank was so fixed, he thought he couldn’t ask for assistance without it being a burden. He was just such a bleeding heart. He spent so much time living within the confines of his own mind that he had no way of functioning to any great degree outside of it. And so became wildly reckless when it all came to be too much and it made him such a juicy character to read about. It’s an emotionally exhausting way to live life and not one I’m familiar with, which made reading from his perspective a lot more meaningful to me.

And it’s entirely because the writing is so strong. Rowland excels at dialogue, both the quippy kind and the emotional kind. You could see it in the begrudging and volatile nature of Tadek and Evemer’s friendship (the snark was a highlight for me) and in the sweet way Kadou would giggle at something humourous Evemer would say unintentionally. The writing was also completely immersive. I started this last night, put it down the one time and once I picked it up again this morning, I couldn’t stop. The story was a drug, I was on high and I never wanted it to stop. Because the slow burn of the romance was luscious. Addicting, even. There was a hair washing scene that was the epitome of intimate and I had such longing in my bones as I read it. Every time Evemer said “My lord” I was blushing because it was basically Westley from The Princess Bride saying “As you wish” and I love when a single and simple sentence can hold so much meaning through repetition.

And though a lot of the sexy scenes occur entirely off-page, even the one scene near the end was this tame and classy moment that was tender and sweet with absolutely no mention of what became unmentionable ‘bits’ in sight. It was gentle, it was patient, it was almost painfully non vulgar and I’m amazed at how it all came together so nicely.

If you want a queer romance fantasy read that does the bodyguard trope justice, look no further. This is it. It's hands down one of my favourites of the year so far.

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