A Taste of Gold and Iron
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- Create Date：2022-08-28 07:52:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Alexandra Rowland
- ISBN：152909965X
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Summary
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。
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。
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 best。 In Arasht， where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history， counterfeiting is heresy， and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin。
At the Publisher's request， this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software （DRM） applied。
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。
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 best。 In Arasht， where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history， counterfeiting is heresy， and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin。
At the Publisher's request， this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software （DRM） applied。
Reviews
Holly
，
This was not quite what I was expecting。 What I loved about it: - The representation included， across so many areas。 I knew going in that it was LGBTQ but often this just means a sapphic romance。 In this book we have a broad range of gender and sexuality rep - including non binary figures who are both "bad" and "good" - we also have mental health rep - How nuanced each and every character is。 Even those who seem to be one dimensional initially open up as the story progresses。 - The relationship This was not quite what I was expecting。 What I loved about it: - The representation included， across so many areas。 I knew going in that it was LGBTQ but often this just means a sapphic romance。 In this book we have a broad range of gender and sexuality rep - including non binary figures who are both "bad" and "good" - we also have mental health rep - How nuanced each and every character is。 Even those who seem to be one dimensional initially open up as the story progresses。 - The relationship that builds between our protagonists is slow and based on coming to understand each other。 Not without difficulty I have to say， they learn that they each have their own prejudices against the other and that their own thought processes stop them communicating effectively。 It is very well done in that respect。 - The setting， this amazing blend of 1500s England， Byzantine Empire and mythology。 - The fact that we have a society in which women hold the power， not only do we have a female sultan and female commander of the Kahyalar but women can decide whether to allow the father of their children claim over them。What wasn't for me: - It is very slow paced。 Whilst I hate a story to rush， I do prefer more plot to the fantasy I pick up。 It really doesn't feel like anything much happens in this story。 - The dialogue can often feel wrong（？）， I'm not sure what the right word is but conversations in this world must take an absolute age as each character goes through a myriad of thought processes before responding。 I often found myself having to go back and reread what the last person said after a paragraph or two of the second person just thinking about their response。 - Whilst I loved the mental health rep in this book， our protagonist has severe anxiety， I have to say that the first 25% of the book was pretty insufferable in the extensive descriptions of the anxiety。 I do understand that this makes it relatively accurate in its depiction because anxiety is all consuming but it doesn't make for a particularly enjoyable reading experience。SO all in all， whilst this book ultimately isn't for me， I can completely understand why others would love it。 。。。more
Alice
，
Ever read a book that seems like it’s perfectly written for you？ A Taste of Gold and Iron had some many things I absolutely love in a book: lovable and hilarious characters， emotional depth， court politics， economics， queer love， family （both found and biological）， gorgeous world building， interesting magic， and kindness。 And while the story surprised me and made me laugh， it also felt very much like coming home。 There’s nothing more wonderful than that feeling。 Our main couple， Kadou and Evemer Ever read a book that seems like it’s perfectly written for you？ A Taste of Gold and Iron had some many things I absolutely love in a book: lovable and hilarious characters， emotional depth， court politics， economics， queer love， family （both found and biological）， gorgeous world building， interesting magic， and kindness。 And while the story surprised me and made me laugh， it also felt very much like coming home。 There’s nothing more wonderful than that feeling。 Our main couple， Kadou and Evemer appear to be opposites at first glance。 Kadou is a prince and terribly conscious of the power he wields， a fact that frequently triggers his chronic anxiety。 His struggle with anxiety—or cowardice， as he interprets it—is fascinating and heartbreaking， and certainly had me re-examining my own experience with it。 Kadou is surrounded by guards （or kahyalar） who protect and serve him， including Evemer， his stern new protector。 Evemer takes a while to warm up to， but his innate desire to be good and useful and loyal makes him the perfect match for Kadou。 Let me preface this by saying I normally don’t like bodyguard romances， but I think the balance of reciprocity and protection is beautiful and well-written。 Shoutout also to all the wonderful side characters， but especially Eozena， Zeliha， and Tadek。 I don’t know if I’ve read such a friendly and totally exasperated guard commander before， but Eozena is the general/mom everyone needs and deserves a long vacation。 Zeliha was a bit too relatable， honestly， and I loved almost every interaction she had with her brother。 Leveraging your infant child to get out of responsibilities and/or difficult conversations？ Genius。 And Tadek… I have always loved a bi disaster， but watching him and Zadou form a new relationship added an entirely new layer of emotional complexity and healing to the book。 I think I highlighted almost half his dialogue， it was so funny and clever and true。 Besides the characters， the world and magic system in this book are fascinating， a queer take on a merchant nation reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire。 The little details， like touch-tasting and sea serpents were well integrated into the plot， and the language added to the general vibe。 All in all， a beautiful political fantasy that isn’t too dense。 While definintely a slow burn， both plot-wise and romance-wise， it unfolds naturally and doesn’t dwell too much on the steam or the gore。 Queer， clever， and unforgettable。 Thank you， Tor books and Edelweiss for the early review copy！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
Review to comeI loved this
HiddenGirlBooks
，
A sumptuously written tale of courtly intrigue and slow burning romance。Prince Kadou does not want his sister’s crown but investigating a crime leads him to a conspiracy involving powerful figures from a neighbouring kingdom including the father of his Sister’s heir。 Kadou is a powerful character beset by anxiety and self doubt he suffers greatly in trying to bare the burden of his royal blood。 Evemer is the Prince’s new bodyguard，straightlaced and determined to do his duty above all else， Kadou A sumptuously written tale of courtly intrigue and slow burning romance。Prince Kadou does not want his sister’s crown but investigating a crime leads him to a conspiracy involving powerful figures from a neighbouring kingdom including the father of his Sister’s heir。 Kadou is a powerful character beset by anxiety and self doubt he suffers greatly in trying to bare the burden of his royal blood。 Evemer is the Prince’s new bodyguard，straightlaced and determined to do his duty above all else， Kadou defies his expectations and as understanding grows between them so does a forbidden love。Set in a mesmerising world drawn from Ottoman myth A Taste of Gold and Iron combines a sensuous love story with a very unexpected Prince。 I found it beautiful， different and gorgeously decadent。 。。。more
Bunderlai
，
t***Received an ARC through NetGalley***I loved this book！ I've honestly struggled to write this review for a while because I liked it so much。 So I've just decided to write a list of things I enjoyed。1。 The worldbuilding。 The setting was clearly inspired by the Ottoman Empire and I loved every detail of how Rowland built this intricate， fascinating city。 The beautiful clothes， the details of the currency and its role in politics， the many， many titles of nobility and palace staff， and the sea s t***Received an ARC through NetGalley***I loved this book！ I've honestly struggled to write this review for a while because I liked it so much。 So I've just decided to write a list of things I enjoyed。1。 The worldbuilding。 The setting was clearly inspired by the Ottoman Empire and I loved every detail of how Rowland built this intricate， fascinating city。 The beautiful clothes， the details of the currency and its role in politics， the many， many titles of nobility and palace staff， and the sea serpents。 I could see everything and everyone and felt like I was walking around in the world。 I love that in a book。2。 The characters。 Every character was a delight。 I liked the family dynamics， the friendship dynamics， the romantic dynamics。 I liked the queernormative world。 I liked that third gender folks were everywhere。 I liked that the people were messy and made mistakes and still loved each other as best they could。3。 Kadou and Evemer！！ I loved how Rowland played with the power dynamics of the classic bodyguard/noble dynamic。 Each of them had a chance to shine， to save the other， to be weak or needy， and to be brave。This doesn't even touch on the plot itself - an excellent political mystery - or the portrayal of Kadou's anxiety - which was so true to my own experience I had to set down the book several times。 It's a great book。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Celeste
，
4。5 starsIn 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 4。5 starsIn 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。 。。。more
Meredith Katz
，
A solid four star read for me！ This is a romance first and foremost， and one with some great court intrigue in a well-written and diverse fantasy world。I really liked the characters and their changes over time。 The protagonist's anxiety rang very true -- it was EXTREMELY similar to how my own anxiety feels， so it was incredibly relatable， actually， to the point that I had some anxiety symptoms in sympathy while reading his attacks。 Loved the love interest being so stoic and unbending and acknowl A solid four star read for me！ This is a romance first and foremost， and one with some great court intrigue in a well-written and diverse fantasy world。I really liked the characters and their changes over time。 The protagonist's anxiety rang very true -- it was EXTREMELY similar to how my own anxiety feels， so it was incredibly relatable， actually， to the point that I had some anxiety symptoms in sympathy while reading his attacks。 Loved the love interest being so stoic and unbending and acknowledging this， but his slow understanding of the prince。 Genuinely well done -- I bought their changing relationship with everything I saw， and I truly enjoyed seeing how they earned each other's feelings。 I thought the romance was well-developed and supported; there's no instalust or instalove here。Also appreciated how there's a kind of flippant， flamboyant character here， the ex， and that character type is often shallow， or written for jealousy plots， but instead he's absolutely understood here in that -- you don't get to be that character type unless you've got a low value for yourself， unless you're masking something， and that doesn't get ignored here。 It added a lot of depth。The plot itself is fun， though I found several plot threads （the letters， the mention of the villain knowing where the house was） were dropped。 I was also not totally satisfied with the ending （For the themes to fully work he had to tell her at the end！There's a lot of tropes in this， but they're played with deliberately and never used as an easy out。 When they show up， it's a gift; you've been eating a lot of meat through this and the author deliberately uses them to serve you some dessert。 And frankly they're delicious if you're willing to receive them。A charming， fun romance with great characters。 Really looking forward to reading more of Rowland's work。 。。。more
Katherine Bichler
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5 STARSThis is a queer fantasy with a M/M romance。 Kadou is a prince。 His sister is the queen。 When counterfeit money is found in the kingdom and a robbery occurs， the prince tries to prove himself to his sister by catching the criminal。 With the help of his new bodyguard， Evemer， he tries to overcome a few obstacles and people at court that get in his way。 This book fell flat for me。 The description and genre sounded very promising， but ended up being just okay。 I had a hard time gettin ⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5 STARSThis is a queer fantasy with a M/M romance。 Kadou is a prince。 His sister is the queen。 When counterfeit money is found in the kingdom and a robbery occurs， the prince tries to prove himself to his sister by catching the criminal。 With the help of his new bodyguard， Evemer， he tries to overcome a few obstacles and people at court that get in his way。 This book fell flat for me。 The description and genre sounded very promising， but ended up being just okay。 I had a hard time getting into the book。 The chapters are very long and nothing really happens until the second half。 I think if there was more world building I would have enjoyed it more。 When I did get into it， I enjoyed the M/M romance and forbidden love trope。 I wanted more of the magical aspect where they can sense the metal in coins and less of the political talk。 I also liked the action scenes and Kadou’s training background。 Overall， it was not for me but if you love a slow burn queer fantasy romance， this is for you！ I would read more from this author in the future。 👑👨❤️👨Thank you to TorDotCom Publishing for the advance reader copy！ ♥️ 。。。more
kaitlyns_library
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I am so here for queer fantasy books and this one didn’t disappoint！ I really loved how complex these characters were， as well as the discussions of mental health and the slow burn romance。 This was more of a slower paced book which I think works for it。 However， as this isn’t a style of fantasy I particularly gravitate towards， I found that I was disengaging in certain sections because of it。This is definitely one to add to your tbr！
Pamada
，
I think we can all agree that the cover for A Taste of Gold and Iron is。。 well。。 gold。 It just screams "pick me" "read me" 。。 and so of course I did。Unfortunately this book fell kinda flat for me。 There were some adorable moments throughout and the beginning was captivating enough to boost this book to a soft 3 stars， but overall I didn't really enjoy it。 I found myself skimming through paragraphs just to finish， which I hate because I really wanted to like this book。 It reminded me a lot of Win I think we can all agree that the cover for A Taste of Gold and Iron is。。 well。。 gold。 It just screams "pick me" "read me" 。。 and so of course I did。Unfortunately this book fell kinda flat for me。 There were some adorable moments throughout and the beginning was captivating enough to boost this book to a soft 3 stars， but overall I didn't really enjoy it。 I found myself skimming through paragraphs just to finish， which I hate because I really wanted to like this book。 It reminded me a lot of Winter's Orbit， but didn't have the same amount of charm。What this book does have is a LOT of angst， and if you like angsty romances then this one is for you。 Its honestly more angst than romance， more romance than plot， and more plot than actual fantasy。 The fantasy element， because there's really only just one， is very casual despite it being so critical to their society。 And the plot！ The plot could've been so much fun。 It was extremely obvious to me who the bad guy was but it still could've resolved in a way that was much more exciting and dramatic than it did。 It was kind of boring how it all concluded and a little illogical。I did love the queer rep and just how natural everything was in this world。 The flow between he/him， she/her， ce/cir is done really well and without exposition。 This is simply how these characters are。Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kori Sulewski （korireads）
，
Just what I needed。 A fantasy romance where queerness is normalized and there’s seamless use of different pronouns， full of powerful women， and with a slowburn relationship between prince and his sworn bodyguard - I loved the development of Kadou and Evermer together （especially because I found Kadou super annoying at first）。 Such a slowburn！！ My only complaint is that during the first third I felt like I was thrown into the world and the characters too quickly。 I actually at one point had to st Just what I needed。 A fantasy romance where queerness is normalized and there’s seamless use of different pronouns， full of powerful women， and with a slowburn relationship between prince and his sworn bodyguard - I loved the development of Kadou and Evermer together （especially because I found Kadou super annoying at first）。 Such a slowburn！！ My only complaint is that during the first third I felt like I was thrown into the world and the characters too quickly。 I actually at one point had to stop and make sure I hadn’t started a sequel by accident。 😅However， once the author settled into the story， I feel like the writing got significantly better， the character growth was wonderful， and I found myself wanting to keep reading and was totally hooked。 。。。more
Rae
，
This book was slow at the beginning， I’ll admit。 I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it。 But as soon as Evemer was introduced， and we got his point of view， I was hooked。 I’ll admit， it was predictable， but I still loved every moment of evemer and kadou， of radek learning。 I wish we got a bit more of melek because çe seemed cool。 All in all， a very interesting world and plot。 Very character driven， and fun！ Diverse， but not in a bad way where people try to force it in and it feels faked。 This book was slow at the beginning， I’ll admit。 I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it。 But as soon as Evemer was introduced， and we got his point of view， I was hooked。 I’ll admit， it was predictable， but I still loved every moment of evemer and kadou， of radek learning。 I wish we got a bit more of melek because çe seemed cool。 All in all， a very interesting world and plot。 Very character driven， and fun！ Diverse， but not in a bad way where people try to force it in and it feels faked。 Definitely recommend 。。。more
Courtney
，
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 A Taste of Gold and Iron is a compelling， inclusive Ottoman Empire-inspired fantasy romance。 I love the way the historical aesthetics are baked into this world， while also exploring a world where queerness， whether it be same-sex partnerships or non-binary identities are just accepted as a part of the world， including a character who uses neopronouns。 There are some minor quirks to th I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 A Taste of Gold and Iron is a compelling， inclusive Ottoman Empire-inspired fantasy romance。 I love the way the historical aesthetics are baked into this world， while also exploring a world where queerness， whether it be same-sex partnerships or non-binary identities are just accepted as a part of the world， including a character who uses neopronouns。 There are some minor quirks to the way political marriages could work among the nobility which shatter this queer utopia at times， like the lingering possibility Kadou’s sister could choose to marry him to a woman， but it’s otherwise pretty well-thought out。 The magic is also pretty interesting， although it’s not majorly focused on。 As the title implies， it revolves around being able to “taste” metals， developing knowledge about them through touch。Kadou is a pretty compelling character， especially his experience living with anxiety， including having panic attacks。 While the politics tend to take a backseat to the romance a lot of the time， I love how this explores what it means for someone in such a high-status and visual position dealing with anxiety， especially with recent real-life headlines of a certain Prince bringing visibility to mental health struggles， albeit in a somewhat different context。 The romance is wonderful， and I love how it plays into familiar tropes， like Prince/bodyguard and enemies-to-lovers。 They have wonderful slow-building tension that escalates perfectly。 While I didn’t have an issue with the pacing of the romance， I did feel like the pacing of the book overall was kind of weird。 I was concerned when I saw it was a 500-plus page book， but only had sixteen chapters？！ Granted， they’re broken into sections， but it played mind games with me， as someone who prefers shorter， succinct chapters。 And while fantasy romance as a subgenre can run on the longer side page/word count wise， I would have preferred shorter chapters to help increase the momentum， at least somewhat。 But with the exception of those minor mechanics issues， which are largely personal preferences， I enjoyed this overall。 If you’re looking for a queer （both in terms of the central pairing and world around them） fantasy romance， I recommend giving this a try。 。。。more
Beauregard
，
A book that was surprisingly easy reading once you get into it， but I felt it suffered from unclear vision and also being like 500 pages long。 Did it want to be a political thriller？ Pretty hard to be that， when the villain and the plot was cartoonishly obvious and simplistic。 A fantasy？ With what， one mention of sea monsters and a singular magical ability called touch-tasting that is pretty glazed over？ A romance？ It was impressively vague and honestly， for as long as this book was drawn out， I A book that was surprisingly easy reading once you get into it， but I felt it suffered from unclear vision and also being like 500 pages long。 Did it want to be a political thriller？ Pretty hard to be that， when the villain and the plot was cartoonishly obvious and simplistic。 A fantasy？ With what， one mention of sea monsters and a singular magical ability called touch-tasting that is pretty glazed over？ A romance？ It was impressively vague and honestly， for as long as this book was drawn out， I didn't feel convinced at all by Evemer's and Kadou's romantic relationship。The pulls of the different plot points were very skewed， and I was pretty unsatisfied with the ending， especially how the major mystery was concluded。 I can't tell if it's setting up for another book in the series？？？ If you have 500 pages of book。。。。why do you blast through the resolution of the big bad unmasking in literally two sentences。I dunno。 I think this might be for people that enjoyed Winter's Orbit， and I genuinely hope they find enjoyment in this one！Thanks to Tor for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Miya Janae
，
What I really loved about this book was that the MMC suffered from anxiety and panic attacks。 That is extremely relatable to big portion of the population these days。This was a fantasy romance from the POV of Prince Kadou and Evemer his guard。 I felt like the plot was more about the Prince's anxiety and him learning to navigate it。This was a nice slow burn/forbidden romance story。 Evemer definitely has book boyfriend potential I wish there would have been more of a build up between the two MMC。I What I really loved about this book was that the MMC suffered from anxiety and panic attacks。 That is extremely relatable to big portion of the population these days。This was a fantasy romance from the POV of Prince Kadou and Evemer his guard。 I felt like the plot was more about the Prince's anxiety and him learning to navigate it。This was a nice slow burn/forbidden romance story。 Evemer definitely has book boyfriend potential I wish there would have been more of a build up between the two MMC。I'm excited to see what this author puts out next。 。。。more
Meg
，
When I read the blurb for this book， “a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire” I was immediately intrigued。 The Ottoman Empire has long been fascination of mine， and I thought a fantasy world utilizing that as a backdrop would be beautiful and unique。 Unfortunately the execution of the worldbuilding in particular fell flat for me。 The first few chapters were so packed with names and concepts that I had a hard time tracking them all， and without a glos When I read the blurb for this book， “a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire” I was immediately intrigued。 The Ottoman Empire has long been fascination of mine， and I thought a fantasy world utilizing that as a backdrop would be beautiful and unique。 Unfortunately the execution of the worldbuilding in particular fell flat for me。 The first few chapters were so packed with names and concepts that I had a hard time tracking them all， and without a glossary （at least in the ARC） I had no point of reference。 By the third chapter as the worldbuilding settled and I finally felt myself in the flow of the prose， I realized that I had missed a major plot point while sorting out place names and magic systems and I had to go back to reread。 Prince Kadou， younger brother to Sultan Zeliha， has generalized anxiety and a lack of clarity in his own role in the government。 The kahya - highly trained advisors/servants/guards who will eventually become high ranking ministers - tend to the royals closely。 Kadou has had a relationship with at least one kahya in the past， Tadek， who still serves as armsman after a demotion。 Newly assigned to his staff is Evemer， quiet， supremely intelligent and observant， and loyal。 Kadou has to rely on Evemer， Tadek， and other kahyalar to discover who has betrayed the empire， setting up counterfeit coin trade， and framing Kadou in the process。 Unfortunately， the central romance started out with a love triangle， which gave the book more of a YA feel than I prefer to read。 The romance is slow burn and largely closed door， though has a satisfying HEA。 That said all said， this gets a half star bonus for a very natural queer normativity。 I also love that it is a non-martial fantasy， with the central plot focused on intrigue and counterfeit coins rather than gearing towards a large battle。Thank you to @netgally and @tordotcompub for an eARC for review。 3。5 stars/1 flame 。。。more
Nicola Bennett
，
Never has an uncle been so glad to hear of the birth of a niece。 In Araşt， the throne descends through the female side， which excludes a lot of the problems with royal bastards。 But until his sister produces her first daughter， there is the chance that Kadou may end up heir， which is which would be a misfortune for the inept and self-effacing prince。 Even while his sister is indisposed with childbirth， he has struggled to cope with various problems， a break-in at the vital Shipbuilder′s Guild， a Never has an uncle been so glad to hear of the birth of a niece。 In Araşt， the throne descends through the female side， which excludes a lot of the problems with royal bastards。 But until his sister produces her first daughter， there is the chance that Kadou may end up heir， which is which would be a misfortune for the inept and self-effacing prince。 Even while his sister is indisposed with childbirth， he has struggled to cope with various problems， a break-in at the vital Shipbuilder′s Guild， a foreign merchant accused of counterfeiting， and the father of his niece assuming authority quite above his station。 On a hunting excursion with the father， Siranos， there is a terrible misunderstanding， leaving three guards dead。 Kadou is almost exiled， but manages to convince his sister to let him stay， although he is given the by-the-book guard Evemer to keep him out of trouble。 Which would be less of a burden if he was not so very handsome。There is lots to like in this book: the various investigations that take place， the look at the society of the country， the characters， many of whom we get to see more of as the story progresses。 The magic that appears is quite low-key， an ability to tell if people are telling the truth， the power to distinguish between metals， which is of great importance to a country which bases its strength on trading。 There is a nice line in humour from several of the characters， and the book is certainly not in the grimdark style。This is a standalone novel as far as I know， and I found it a really enjoyable read。I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley 。。。more
Emma Ann
，
NB: It’s been brought to my attention that some potential readers of this book are concerned， with good reason， about it taking place in a fantasy world inspired by the Ottoman Empire。 As far as I can tell， this book is only very very loosely related to the Ottomans， and the reason for the “Ottoman Empire” description mostly seems to be that the fantasy world has a sort of similar aesthetic。 The kingdom in the book is a kingdom and not an empire at all。 Imperialism is not glorified in any way （a NB: It’s been brought to my attention that some potential readers of this book are concerned， with good reason， about it taking place in a fantasy world inspired by the Ottoman Empire。 As far as I can tell， this book is only very very loosely related to the Ottomans， and the reason for the “Ottoman Empire” description mostly seems to be that the fantasy world has a sort of similar aesthetic。 The kingdom in the book is a kingdom and not an empire at all。 Imperialism is not glorified in any way （as far as I can tell）。However， because I don’t know much about this part of history and don’t want to just go “Oh， there’s no problem！”， I’ve opted not to provide a star rating。 I also totally welcome comments from anyone who knows more than me。 I can edit this review accordingly。Wow。 Ever since I read The Goblin Emperor a year and a half ago， I’ve been chasing that high—looking for another book that made me feel the way that one did。 A Taste of Gold and Iron finally， finally scratched the itch。 This is a story about politics， about magic （although the magic is just a backdrop， really）， and about two very different people coming to rely on and love each other。 It’s also a story about anxiety。 Kadou is stalked by worry， always， and as someone who is also stalked by worry always， I ached for him。 I couldn’t stop reading。 I needed to know whether everything turned out all right—but I also trusted that the book would end exactly where it needed to。A Taste of Gold and Iron is a more self-indulgent， fanfiction-y book than The Goblin Emperor， and I mean that in a good way。 It knows exactly what we’re all here for: the complexity of relationships， the messiness of opening yourself up to another person， the terror of realizing you love someone。 If you’re looking for something plot-heavy and full of action， maybe go elsewhere， but otherwise this book is a delight。 。。。more
Dani
，
This was a tough one。 I will generally accept any new world building with complicated language if I can still understand what’s going on as I slot these new words into my brain。 This was borderline too much for me。This has an interesting idea that there are people who can touch metals and essentially gauge how pure the metals are and immediately know if something is counterfeit。 Despite being in the title， this was underutilized。Kadou suffers from what are seemingly panic attacks and I could hav This was a tough one。 I will generally accept any new world building with complicated language if I can still understand what’s going on as I slot these new words into my brain。 This was borderline too much for me。This has an interesting idea that there are people who can touch metals and essentially gauge how pure the metals are and immediately know if something is counterfeit。 Despite being in the title， this was underutilized。Kadou suffers from what are seemingly panic attacks and I could have used about 100% less of them being classed as how they make him a coward/cowardly。This was slow burn almost to the point of no burn at all and ended abruptly。 I wanted just one scene of them when the drama is over， I don’t know， feeding each other grapes or something to show they were making it work as equals despite how they started。Kudos for creating this detailed world with a diverse cast though。 I loved that his sister Zeliha/ruler of this county was trying to marry him off over breakfast to the hot guy who sent an actual painting of himself over like a medieval Tinder swipe。 I loved that Zeliha had just had a baby and was tired and doting on her child while dealing with all of this nonsense。 She was a boss but also able to dissolve into giggles at one of Kadou’s disguises。 I liked that big stoic Evemer was not great at kissing and had a mother who called him Honeybee。Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions are my own。 。。。more
Andorion
，
This review is based on an ARC provided by NetgalleyReviewing A Taste of Gold and Iron is quite the task as I am not a fraction of the writer the author is and so its quite hard for me to find the right words to do justice。 On the surface， A Taste of Gold and Iron does not seem to be a super-original work。 It's about intrigue and plots， of a prince trying to figure out where the threat to the crown is coming from with the help of his guards。 But it’s also so much more than that。 The principal st This review is based on an ARC provided by NetgalleyReviewing A Taste of Gold and Iron is quite the task as I am not a fraction of the writer the author is and so its quite hard for me to find the right words to do justice。 On the surface， A Taste of Gold and Iron does not seem to be a super-original work。 It's about intrigue and plots， of a prince trying to figure out where the threat to the crown is coming from with the help of his guards。 But it’s also so much more than that。 The principal strength of this book lies in its characterization and general quality of writing。 Our two principal PoV characters are Kadou， the prince and Evemer， his bodyguard。 Kadou is a shy， diffident person who balks at having power。 He is kind hearted， always looking to do good， and chronically anxious。 Evemer is the opposite。 Superbly trained， absolutely certain and confident in his abilities and the principles he believes in， he is haughty， unbending， and not the most open minded。 But， that is where the story starts from。 And the way it unfurls is like a tightly wound ball of fabric opening out into this gorgeous tapestry， as little by little all the facets of these two characters and their fascinating interplay is held up to the readers。 The writing is lush， glorying in its beauty and never shying away from evoking emotion。 One aspect I greatly appreciated was its depiction of anxiety and how it can take a constant toll on the life of a person。 This is also a romantic book and the gradual painstaking birth and development of that relationship is what the book builds itself around。 For those readers who prize characterization and inter-character relationships above all， this book is an indulgence。 However， that is not the only praiseworthy part of this book。 The worldbuilding deserves special mention。 The book embraces queerness， with multiple genders existing and being accepted into the everyday social fabric。 With that comes different ideas about marriage， childbirth and kinship， of inheritance and “claims” on a child。 Women can have children with a body-father who is not a husband and who may not necessarily have the same status， and this is not a matter of shame or illegitimacy。 I also liked the idea of the kahyalar， a cohort of guards who are more than guards， sworn to loyalty， trained in every aspect of rule， so that they may also become ministers， generals and officials。 I really appreciated how economics was touched upon and integrated into the magic system。 Basically what I appreciated the most about worldbuilding was how organically it was done。 There was no clumsy exposition or infodumps， there was gradual revelation， and often just hints were given and the reader was allowed to decide for themselves。 In the end， A Taste of Gold and Iron is a superb story about two people finding each other and themselves， set in a richly imagined world。 I rate it 10/10 and 5 out of 5 stars for Goodreads。 。。。more
Holly （The GrimDragon）
，
Review to come！
Deedi Brown （DeediReads）
，
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:A Taste of Gold and Iron is a standalone fantasy with a queer central romance， and it hooked me HARD。 The characters and their arcs are so exquisitely crafted that I didn’t even mind the slow burn。 LOVED。For you if: You like fantasy novels with mystery and romance。FULL REVIEW:If you follow me on Instagram， you know that I LOVED this book。 First of all， standalone fantasy？ Yes please。 Queer central romance？ Double yes。 Political All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:A Taste of Gold and Iron is a standalone fantasy with a queer central romance， and it hooked me HARD。 The characters and their arcs are so exquisitely crafted that I didn’t even mind the slow burn。 LOVED。For you if: You like fantasy novels with mystery and romance。FULL REVIEW:If you follow me on Instagram， you know that I LOVED this book。 First of all， standalone fantasy？ Yes please。 Queer central romance？ Double yes。 Political mystery？ YES x3。 By about 40% in， I was not only completely hooked， but also genuinely angry that I had to stop reading to sleep and work。 When it was over， I was despondent。 I can’t remember the last book that made me feel like that。The story takes place in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire where some people can touch-taste metals， identifying materials by the different tastes and sensations they conjure。 Kadou， a prince whose life is ruled by anxiety and panic disorder， has committed an unfortunate political blunder with tragic results。 His sister， the sultan， assigns him a new lead bodyguard， the proud and disciplined Evemer。 Those tragic results color Evemer’s opinion of Kadou， but as he helps Kadou investigate a counterfeiting conspiracy in order to redeem himself in the court’s eyes， Evemer begins to realize that his initial judgment may have been too hasty。So much to say， so little space。 I loved the way diverse genders and sexualities are so commonplace in this world。 I loved the way I felt when the meaning of the book’s title finally snapped into place。 I loved Kadou’s commitment to reciprocity and goodness。 I loved the way it explored anxiety and mental illness。 I loved the way it felt like my chest was imploding and also exploding as I read it。But mostly， I loved the way Kadou and Evemer’s character arcs and romance developed so fully — technically， I guess， it’s a “slow burn，” but not one that ever made me feel impatient。 These characters have to grow in order for the way they see each other to change， and Rowland pulls it off exquisitely。I just loved it， okay？？？CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:Panic attacks / anxiety; Violence; Sexual content; Alcohol use as a coping mechanism 。。。more
Mel
，
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I guess I'm not as empathetic as I thought， because I really did not care for how frontloaded Kadou's anxiety disorder was to this book at all。 Maybe in a contemporary novel， or something shorter and more focused， I would have been okay with it， but in a fantasy， no。 There's all this interesting stuff about a counterfeiting ring， and the ability to have sense-memory experiences when touching metals， and all of that is shoved to the side for chapt **I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I guess I'm not as empathetic as I thought， because I really did not care for how frontloaded Kadou's anxiety disorder was to this book at all。 Maybe in a contemporary novel， or something shorter and more focused， I would have been okay with it， but in a fantasy， no。 There's all this interesting stuff about a counterfeiting ring， and the ability to have sense-memory experiences when touching metals， and all of that is shoved to the side for chapters at a time so we can get into the weeds of Kadou's panic attacks。 I'm sure that readers who are able to connect to Kadou on that level will find this book affirming， and that's great， but I can't help but feel that a book with the opposite proportions - the plot taking the lion's share of the pages， and the anxiety disorder getting what's left over - would have made for a stronger， more compelling read。I also found myself increasingly leery of all the ethical back and forth here - yes， we know it's kind of suss to be a prince dating a bodyguard， but we wouldn't be reading this kind of book if we didn't like this kind of thing， so why not just roll with it without much fuss？ Again， for me， it prioritized a discussion you could have anywhere over things that were interesting and particular to this book （like the king-tide！ and the dual gods！）。All this said， it's still a very readable book。 Rowland's writing is spry: uncomplicated， but not unvarnished。 Even if you're a slow reader you're bound to move quickly through this one because of how smooth it reads。 And certain elements （basically everything closest to the plot）， like I said， are very interesting: the concept of a body-father alone would've been worth its own book。As far as my recommendation goes， I think if you have an anxiety disorder and you're looking for kinship in a fantasy， you will definitely find that here。 For me， personally， it didn't work， and I think for anyone who wants a more plot-focused story it won't work either。 But it's not such a taxing read that it's not worth giving it a try。 。。。more
Michaela
，
Review to come
Angela Clark
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 **Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this as an arc！It was kind of hard to follow。。。。 I thought I was going to love this book but it took me so long to get through because I was constantly getting bored。 The Story is a slow burn which usually I can do if there are fantasy or a good story plot to follow but there wasn't a lot of either。 I loved Tenzin probably my favorite character out of the whole book。 I kinda went into this hoping for it to be a lot like RWRB w **Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this as an arc！It was kind of hard to follow。。。。 I thought I was going to love this book but it took me so long to get through because I was constantly getting bored。 The Story is a slow burn which usually I can do if there are fantasy or a good story plot to follow but there wasn't a lot of either。 I loved Tenzin probably my favorite character out of the whole book。 I kinda went into this hoping for it to be a lot like RWRB with the political factors and the queerness but was very let down even with some of the scenes having good humor it just didn't reach its full potential for me。 。。。more
anna b
，
This is the best book I've read in 2022 by far。 So character-driven， light on fantasy worldbuilding though the bits and pieces we do get to learn are so intriguing and really flesh out the characters。 An absolutely joyful amount of romance tropes。My highest recommendation！ If you're looking for queer fantasy romance， read this！ This is the best book I've read in 2022 by far。 So character-driven， light on fantasy worldbuilding though the bits and pieces we do get to learn are so intriguing and really flesh out the characters。 An absolutely joyful amount of romance tropes。My highest recommendation！ If you're looking for queer fantasy romance， read this！ 。。。more
Vini
，
4。5 "even a day by his side is worth a lifetime of misery" sdhaiodjiodgfnsiajfiedshjlkghnajsdhjlasdflksajklfdnlkjdakslnfjkads”He couldn’t do that again， now that he knew what was happening to him， and still keep his heart secret—he’d give it all away somehow， by whispering in his sleep those things he shouldn’t say or clinging too hard to Kadou。 It was the thing his heart yearned for with a sharp stabbing pain， just to be allowed to be close to him， to hold him quietly， to rub his face in Kadou’ 4。5 "even a day by his side is worth a lifetime of misery" sdhaiodjiodgfnsiajfiedshjlkghnajsdhjlasdflksajklfdnlkjdakslnfjkads”He couldn’t do that again， now that he knew what was happening to him， and still keep his heart secret—he’d give it all away somehow， by whispering in his sleep those things he shouldn’t say or clinging too hard to Kadou。 It was the thing his heart yearned for with a sharp stabbing pain， just to be allowed to be close to him， to hold him quietly， to rub his face in Kadou’s hair and feel the gentle rhythm of his breath in sleep。 It was the one thing he could not allow himself to have， not even a second taste， never again。 He already knew too much of it from the night before， but that， he insisted to himself， was different。 He hadn’t known he was in love then。”Kadou， the shy prince of Arasht， finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court in an altercation that results in his humiliation。 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 best。 In Arasht， where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history， counterfeiting is heresy， and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin。So a few posts ago， I mentioned how I wasn't really liking this。 I was 30% into it， and I wasn't very invested in the plot， the characters， or the romance。 But then， cut to me， screaming， screeching reading the last chapter of this book。 I'M OBSESSED！！ I'M SORRY I SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE FIRST THIRDI was very interested in reading this because of that beautiful cover， and I went into it not knowing what it was about。 The only things I knew were that it was a slow-burn bodyguard romance， that's it。 And I recommend going into it that way because it's much more surprising。The plot is very straightforward。 It's a conspiracy that feels obvious， and I guessed what was going on halfway through， but that didn't bother me because it was still very engaging。The romance ！！！ This book has a combination of things that always makes me FERAL。 There's brushing each other's hair。 There's dramatic hand-holding。 There's kissing to avoid suspicion。 There's the italicized 'oh' when they realize they have feelings。 There's "you are mine， and I am yours" in italics （this one specifically， every time it appears in a book， I will give it five stars）。Evemer and Kadou were so well written。 They complimented each other and were better together。This book has a very similar feel to Winter's Orbit。 I don't know how to explain it exactly， but I think if you loved Winter's Orbit， you will love this。 They have a similar vibe to it。 Both are slow-burn， soft romances that happen alongside an investigation trying to uncover a conspiracy。 I liked this one a lot more because I feel like it does those things better。Also， really loved the anxiety representation in this！ Kadou has anxiety and sometimes suffers some panic attacks。 While I think it could have been explored more than it was， it was still amazing to see。 I always appreciate seeing good mental health representation in a fantasy novel。I didn't give it a FULL five stars because I feel the main plot was resolved way too quickly and way too easily。 Like I finished the book， and then I had to go back to check if I missed something。Still！ Can't recommend this enough！ I loved it！！ It comes out at the end of this month。 And please come scream to me if/when you read it！！ 。。。more
TrippyBooks
，
Thank you Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review ！ I have been trying to finish this book for a month now & each time i pick it up i find i have to force myself to continue reading。 Finally im throwing in the towel。 I found this story moved at a snails pace and there was barely any dialogue between the main leads for the first 40% of the book 。 Our love interest Evemer has a vocabulary that consists of two words， “sir” and “highness” for the first 30% of the book。 I love a good Thank you Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review ！ I have been trying to finish this book for a month now & each time i pick it up i find i have to force myself to continue reading。 Finally im throwing in the towel。 I found this story moved at a snails pace and there was barely any dialogue between the main leads for the first 40% of the book 。 Our love interest Evemer has a vocabulary that consists of two words， “sir” and “highness” for the first 30% of the book。 I love a good slow burn but COME ON。 Miraculously the plot sludges on ， focusing on every character outside of the couple i actually want to see。 There isn’t anything wrong with the writing style and im sure some people will like it （fans of strange and stubborn endurance will love this） it just wasn’t for me 。 。。。more
Claire Jarvis
，
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， 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。 。。。more
Amanda
，
I have so much love for this book that I struggle to talk about it！ This is absolutely my favorite book I have read this year， a new favorite of all time， and one I hope I get to vote for in the Goodreads choice awards。Summary: Kaduo， the prince of the land， finds himself with a new guard。 Evermer is stuck protecting a prince he hates。 Together they investigate a counterfeit ring in their city， and slow fall in love。 Here's what its got:-Amazing characters-QUOTES-Magic-Fantastic writing-Believab I have so much love for this book that I struggle to talk about it！ This is absolutely my favorite book I have read this year， a new favorite of all time， and one I hope I get to vote for in the Goodreads choice awards。Summary: Kaduo， the prince of the land， finds himself with a new guard。 Evermer is stuck protecting a prince he hates。 Together they investigate a counterfeit ring in their city， and slow fall in love。 Here's what its got:-Amazing characters-QUOTES-Magic-Fantastic writing-Believable romance-A three gendered system-Slow burn-Fantasy set in the height of the Ottoman empire-Female Sutlan-LGBT rights-the grumpy one fell in love with the sunshine oneI don't think I will ever stop talking about how much I love this book！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Taste of Gold and Iron
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Taste of Gold and Iron&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft