A Taste of Gold and Iron

Wow, this book has received extremely mixed reviews. It is published by Tor, so maybe the disappointed readers were looking for more sophisticated world-building fantasy and less swoony romance. But although it was a bit too long, I found A Taste of Gold and Iron thoroughly engaging. The prince/bodyguard romance is the slowest possible burn (Evemer considers Kadou “careless, flighty and negligent” for quite a while) but it features lots of little gestures and looks that convey a wealth of meaning. And once the taciturn Evemer learns how to talk about (or even conceptualize) his feelings - well, when someone that buttoned up finally lets go, it's worth the wait. Plus hooray for the matriarchy and strong female characters!

The intrigue plot is admittedly weak, and I couldn't decide if Kadou's former lover Tadek was hilarious or a walking gay cliché. But I was all in for the love story and it did not disappoint.