this might be one of my favorite examples of a slow-burn romance ever. the PINING is just… perfection. fantasies with a decent amount of word building usually confuse the hell out of me (and i’ll be honest, some of the politics in this one probably went way over my head) but i am so glad i gave this a shot. evemer is the grumpiest grump of a bodyguard and i adored him. prince kadou is the softest, sweetest human and i, too, wanted to protect him. i loved how their story unfolded and how natural and soft it felt. there are just so many lovely things about this book and it just felt good to read it. i also loved how kadou’s anxiety was portrayed, like something that was just a part of him and never a burden that could be cured or fixed. it was nice to see it written as something that wasn’t a hurdle for a character to overcome, just an aspect of who they are. also, tadek? a whole delight. you’ll love him, guaranteed. . . [id: a copy of a a taste of gold and iron lies atop gold, g...