Book Tour: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be participating in the Blog Tour for A Taste of Gold and Iron today! This is a queer adult fantasy I couldn’t wait to get my hands on, so I’m excited to review it today!

A Taste of Gold and Iron book cover. Text says "One lives for his kingdom. One lives for his prince."

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.

A Taste of Iron and Gold is a lush queer fantasy romance between a disgraced, shy prince and his stoic bodyguard. Throw in some of the tastiest romance tropes, a fun Ottoman-inspired world, and great anxiety rep and you have a fantastic read to spend your time with.

Prince Kadou is assigned a new bodyguard after his relationship with last leads to disgrace. At first, Evemer finds him difficult, even dislikeable, but the two slowly begin to grow on each other in the slow-burn romance. Their budding relationship features one of my favourite silly romance tropes, the “we keed to kiss to avoid suspicion trope”. This book reads like fanfic in the best kind of way. It’s full of delicious drama and squee-worthy moments.

One of the comps used for this book is The Goblin Emperor, but you might be disappointed if you go into it with that in mind. This isn’t a complex plot of slowly building political intrigue. It’s a character-focused romance with an entertaining, if occasionally simplistic, background plot. That’s not a bad thing!

Instead, this comparison shines in the uncertainty and kindness of Prince Kadou. A Taste of Gold and Iron has excellent anxiety representation, and much of the book is taken with exploring Kadou’s emotional state. It was a fantastic departure from the usual romantic lead.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a great choice to spend a cosy afternoon with characters you can root for.

Also, this book has unlocked in me a desperate need for more romances with oaths of fealty.

Thanks to Black Crow PR and Tor for providing me with an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Rowland is the author of several fantasy books, including A Conspiracy Of Truths, A Choir Of Lies, and Some by Virtue Fall, as well as a cohost of the Hugo Award nominated podcast Be the Serpent, all sternly supervised by their feline quality control manager. They hold a degree in world literature, mythology, and folklore from Truman State University.

They are represented by Britt Siess of Britt Siess Creative Management.

Find them on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Patreon.