A review by just_one_more_paige
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

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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