A Taste of Gold and Iron

Product Information

It takes a long time for the romance to get going, but once it does, every other plot element falls away. The antagonists are goofy and pointless, and their evil plot is foiled at the 75% mark with a stern conversation and no fanfare whatsoever. The dialogue throughout reads less like a fantasy novel and more like an old Tumblr post. All sexual content is, you guessed it, gauzy and vague. A tangent, but: I think I’m officially done reading m/m romance that isn’t written by queer men. The cutesy, obfuscating language used in so many bestselling m/m romance novels has gotten SO old. I am over! It! And let's not forget the prince's ex-lover, a major character throughout the book, who exists solely as a mincing caricature of a gay man who calls everyone "darling" and has zingy one-liners for every situation. He could be cast in an offensive 90's sitcom tomorrow.

Intrigue and betrayals abound as Kadou not only carries out his mission in an effort to save the kingdom, but also journeys within himself to discover a purpose and courage. A Taste of Gold and Iron is set in an atmosphere where gender-fluidity is not only accepted, but is an unremarkable part of everyday life. It is both a gripping mystery and an exploration of human nature as the characters grow and change.”— Affaire de Coeur

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) Kadou is the Prince of Arasht, and after a situation occures in which he barely escapes being sent off to the countryside by his sister the Sultan, he's assigned a new bodyguard. Evemer has recently graduated with top marks. He's the perfect no-nonsense and stoic guard. The end of the book, like the last 30%, was kind of a disaster. It made little to no sense. A lot of it was taken up by dithering about feelings (unsupported) and not talking. 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). Lastly The ending! The incredulous, perfidious, scandalous ending! You played me. You gave me hope, then broke my heart and trampled on over my heart...You unfaithful, cruel Ending!

so many of y’all told me that i would love this. that it would be right up the alley of my pulley/marske loving ass. as i sit here with my brain oozing out of my ears, all i have to say is: you were all right. The world building was lot more intense than I expected. The story was set in a world, reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire. Of course, it was grand. The author creates a vast new world. A world that has magic and is very matriarchal. I loved the world building. It was picturesque and vivid. Every bit of it was original and well crafted. Alexandra Rowland did an amazing job indeed. This is breaking my heart because this book was absolutely one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I was SO convinced I would adore it, but... after two months of trying my best and failing to trudge through, I'm finally setting it aside. I might give it another try someday when I'm feeling a bit more patient, but the plot isn't pulling me in at all, the writing is not quite there, and worst of all, these characters are wholly and painfully unlovable. Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.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. 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

Kadou 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?” He rolled his eyes at her, and let her see it too, and she grinned. It was better out here, away from the palace and the court—easier to pretend they were both still children or adolescents, just the prince and the crown princess, with very few concerns beyond tutors and scholars harrying them at every moment, kahyalar fluttering nervously around them while Zeliha announced some new adventure and dragged Kadou along after her. 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.”— Booklist 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. when an altercation puts kadou, the shy price of arasht, on shaky footing with the queen, he tries to prove his loyalty by investigating a break-in at a guild with his newly appointed bodyguard—cold & stoic evemer. as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens to ruin the kingdom’s financial standing, kadou & evemer have to protect each other at every turn.Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, has no intention of wrestling for imperial control with his sister, the queen. Yet he remains at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court – the father of the queen’s new child. Then a hunting party goes terribly awry, and Kadou finds himself under suspicion of attempted murder. 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

Vanessa Armstrong Horror Film It Follows to Get a Sequel, Reasonably Titled They Follow 5 hours ago 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. For a long time, I was convinced that I would rate this book four stars, but my thumbs just hit five beautiful stars, and I do not regret it! A Taste of Gold and Iron Alexandra Rowland book announcements Fantasy Historical Fantasy publishing news Tordotcom Publishing Tordotcom Publishing Acquisitions 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.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. While the world-building was wonderful, I must admire the author’s efforts for a different reason. This novel is very clearly focused on the romance, and the plot and world-building run as an undercurrent to Evemer and Kadou’s relationship. The time that went into crafting the elements of the world so that they could compliment and elevate the romance is immediately evident. The most obvious instance of this is the dynamic that is built between the khayalar – who are ferocious trained ‘guards’ – and the people they serve. The trust and understanding that must be placed between the two are so important. Evemer is assigned to Kadou, and before meeting him, has an intense hatred for the prince, due to an incident that occurs in the opening of the novel. This completely flipped the dynamic between the two, as Evemer, who had trained his whole life for this moment, resents the man he must protect with his life. The khayalar are so complex, and I loved how much detail went into building the political elements of the world, because it made all the tropes the author included work. The hate to love trope was tangible, Evemer had a real reason to hate Kadou. The progression of their relationship was masterful. I loved how, slowly, they were forced to rely only on each other, which naturally made for some interesting scenes. Hatred changed to respect, which grew into fondness, in turn blossoming into love. This all happened slowly, and at the right moments. For this relationship to change, the characters needed to develop. Truly, though,” she said, “I can’t imagine having a baby without six kahyalar to help. And even then, they always disappear just at the wrong moment. Can you take her? My arms are about to fall off. She’s deceptively heavy.” 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.