My letter “G” pick for the A to Z Reading Challenge was GILD by Raven Kennedy, a Romantasy re-telling of the King Midas story.

This isn’t so much of a re-telling as it follows none of the original myth, but instead puts an entirely new spin on the tale that is fascinating and pulls you in quickly. Of course, when your book starts with an orgy, that’s certain to gain attention. Our lead character, Auren isn’t involved, nor does she see any action in this book, so if you read Romantasy for the smut factor you’ll need to wait for the next book in this series.

That being said, this book does not disappoint. Auren has been living in a gilded cage for the last ten years – quite literally. She is the favored saddle (aka concubine) of King Midas, who so treasures her that he used his touch of gold (which can also render things pliant, like cloth) to gild Auren to where her skin and hair have a soft, golden glow. He protects her from harm by keeping her in a cage, except for when important visitors arrive and he wants to parade her in front of them.

Auren is fine with this – mostly. She grew up rough, stolen from her family as a child and forced into a life on the streets (with all the horrible things a pretty, young girl on the streets can expect). Being safe is all she’s ever wanted, and Midas loves her as much as she loves him . . she thinks.

When Midas makes a power move to take over a neighboring kingdom, Auren is sent to join him only to be kidnapped by pirates, then rescued from them by the army of the highly-feared Fourth Kingdom. Their commander is an instant surprise. Due to her own secret bloodline, Auren recognizes him as Fae. The Fae were driven out of the world over a century ago, though their magic still exists in some human bloodlines due to interbreeding. Rip, the commander, takes a special interest in Auren, and unlike Midas’s charming, shiny-blonde exterior, Rip is dark, muscular, and broody. You can guess where this relationship is going if you’ve ever read Romantasy.

I can’t get into plot points without major spoilers but suffice it to say the world-building is top-notch and the story has captivating twists (even though I guessed one early on). The series is five books and I’m currently devouring book three, I liked them so much. Still, book one moves at a slower pace and takes a while to unfold. That’s my only gripe. This author has a way with metaphor, painting with words and lush phrases that make the story all the richer. Four and a half stars.