I tried. I truly tried.
I got 30% into this book and it is genuinely one of the most bizarre things I have ever read.
I just could not force myself to continue with reading this story.
Book taste is incredibly subjective and I don't want my lack of interest in this story to dissuade another reader, but I also want to prioritize my enjoyment while reading and this book was not bringing me joy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

An unhinged pirate Captian, a mostly retired spy, and a previously slutty-turned pious monk sail into a deadly sea of giant turtles and toothy glowing serpents. It sounds like the most ridiculous set up to a joke and, honestly, it is!

I don't know that I have ever read a funnier book than Running Close to the Wind, filled with specifically queer niche humor from backroom Tumblr posts and feverishly shared AO3 fics. Will this book be for everyone? No. But there are a few things about it that really make it uniquely special - and needed - in the current LGBTQIA+ community.

There is a lot of raunchy humor, especially from our Main POV, Avra. The majority of my queer reader friends, regardless of their prefences, Ace or otherwise, have laughed at and with the terribly horny friend. Avra is that friend. He is insatiable in his raunchiness, which could be a little annoying for some, but I find weirdly endearing? He says outrageous things, he annoys for the sake of attention - negative or positive - he doesn't think he deserves real love, and he is like so many beloved queer gremlins I call my dearest friends that I can't help but adore him.

Tev, the Pirate Captian, is jaded and broody. They have seen some real shit, have escaped oppressive living conditions, all the while flipping off the government on their way out. They are the ultimate "stick it to the man" type of queer, get rich and finally be respected and welcomed. They are loyal and protective, with a hot anger that stews for a bit before boiling over. Deep below that hardened exterior is such a beautiful soul.

Julian is the gorgeous - infuriating celibate - monk that joined the crew while Avra was away. He is the pretty boy that is also quite brilliant, maybe has a little too much going for him (what is wrong with him?!?!) but can also read people really well. He's pationate about those in his care, also wants to take down the corporate governments, and won't get off his soap box once he starts!

I've only read one other book from Alexandra Rowland - A Taste of Gold and Iron - which is, previously to this one, my favorite book I've ever read. Now I'd say it is my favorite Romance, where RCttW is there for favorite comedy. This book does touch on past books of Alex's but not so much that you won't understand whats going on if you start with this one. If you love books that don't have a heavy plot, but do focus deeply on characters this is for you. It is fast paced while also taking time for the silly things. It made me laugh out loud numerous times while also cry from how deeply it touched on certain topics.
It highlights a story that I've not seen told elsewhere - one where the main character is not particularly pretty, talented, powerful, or even well liked, save for just being Cursed (or Blessed?) with extremely luck - of which he will argue the validity.

As for the audio - I read both the earc and the audio arc - it is fantastic. I am deeply in love with Casey Jones' characters, inflection, and overall magic of pronunciation. I would read ANYTHING narrated by them. They didn't fall short with Running Close to the Wind, instead I feel it gained extra life. I can still hear Avra screeching, "CAPTAINNNN!" and smile everytime I think of it.

I absolutely loved the idea of this book and the description sounded right up my alley as I loved Our Flag Means Death. However, it honestly just felt cringey and the humor was just not for me. The main characters reads like a teen boy not an adult in their 30s and I just couldn't get into the constant dildo references. Since I didn't DNF it, this is a 2 star review.

This is probably the funniest book I have read this year! The writing was so witty and snappy, the humor truly laugh out loud. A wonderful cast of character that has you rooting for them from the first page. Rowland is a master of character driven story-telling. I will be telling everyone to put this title on their summer reading lists this year.

***Thank you to Tordotcom for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Running Close to the Wind was one of the stupidest books I've ever read, and I loved every minute of my time with it. The humor had me cackling from start to finish, but be warned that it is extremely over the top. I'm sure some people will find it to be grating, but I enjoyed the wackiness of it all and the vibrancy of the different personalities. The writing was easy to follow and filled with ridiculous and delightful dialogue. Although, things did get repetitive at times with many phrases getting re-used over and over for comedic effect.

The premise of Running Close to the Wind was a fairly simple one. A former spy stole an important secret and needed to figure out how to find a buyer for it without getting himself killed. So, he turned to his pirate captain ex for help after he stumbled back into their life by accident. Hilarious hijinks ensue, including glowing blue dogs, horny sea serpents, and the most important cake competition EVER. I never would have thought pirate adventures and cake competitions would be combined in a story, but this book managed to not only make it happen but also have it feel like something all pirates would do.

Running Close to the Wind was horny AF. This book and its characters were obsessed with sex. The text was full of euphemisms and jokes about all sorts of horny topics, and I thought it all worked so well. All the joking aside, there wasn't much actual sex happening in the story, much to the chagrin of certain characters. The few times there was some action didn't include much explicit description, which honestly worked well for this book. Both the characters and readers were tantalizingly toyed with for dramatic effect. People looking for something super steamy might be disappointed, though. I just wish we'd actually gotten to read the sexy song about Tev's spooky dildos. lol.

Running Close to the Wind had some great characters. Avra was the definition of a bisexual disaster. He got by on good luck and fast talking, most of the time at least, but he was also incredibly flighty, hungry for attention, and incessantly horny. He was a self-proclaimed 'silly little slut,' but I also found him to be quite lovable, smart, and hilarious. His ex-lover Tev, on the other hand, was a total grump. Their dynamic was adorable and fun, with Avra pretty much annoying Tev into loving him back. Tev's captains log, which were included at the end of chapters, were extremely funny and showed just how much they cared for Avra, in their own way, of course.

There are so many other great things about Running Close to the Wind, including the hot monk turned pirate who was a total tease throughout the story and just wanted to make the world a better place. I also loved Avra's relationships with the citizens of the Isle of Lost Souls and his entire found family. His story of finding a place and people to call home was a heartwarming one. Alongside all of the hilarious jokes was a story with a great heart and a fun adventure. I cannot recommend it enough. Therefore, I give Running Close to the Wind a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to like it…. I made it to page 62. Avra is supposed to be in his 30s. You’d think someone acting like that was a babbling idiot if they were 15 instead of 35. I thought it would be funny at first. The dildo jokes in the first 10 page or so didn’t put me off but I literally can’t think of any adult or teen I’ve ever met in my entire life that’s half the obnoxious twitchy loud mouth that character is. If your sense of humor is very very purile (and crass sex jokes don’t bother me as seasoning in a spicy book so that should be a hint for you of quite how dildo focused the book is…) and you want the entire book to be as over the top as possible… you might find this the right book for you. I like dumb humor but this was just too wildly over the top for me. And I really liked A Taste of Gold and Iron by this author quite a bit so I was disappointed in this one not being for me.

I like the idea of this book, but this was just a tad too absurd for me, especially for a book of this length.

Sadly i DNFed this one, it wasn’t my taste in reading. I don’t like sharing negative thoughts for ARCs that’s why I won’t be writing a review for this one.

Running Close to the Wind is ridiculous in the best way possible - it reminded me of Tales from Verania and Our Flag Means Death. Fun, vulgar, incredibly honest, and sweet.

I don't think you need to read A Taste of Gold and Iron or a Conspiracy of Truths in order to understand or enjoy Running Close to the Wind BUT I do highly recommend that you do read everything Alexandra Rowland has written because it is all fantastic and all the little references and cameos will make your reading experience more enjoyable.

RCTW follows Avra - a recently retired intelligence courier from Arast who is blessed with godlike luck (as a result of once winning a card game against a priest of the goddess of luck). It is with said absolutely ridiculous luck, that Avra accidentally steals an Arasti secret that will get him and everyone he's ever known gloriously murdered if caught.

Avra happens upon his old on again off again fling - pirate Captain Teveri of The Running Sun and conspires with them to decipher the secret, sell it, and become disgustingly rich in the process.

Hijinks ensue.

This book was so funny and charming, the plot moved so fast I wasn't bored for a second! I will admit that at first I found Avra to be a bit annoying, but he grew on me, like a rabid possum in a cage in an alleyway. I can't pinpoint exactly why I started to like Avra, since he does continue to be irritating, but while he's irritating he is also thoughtful, genuine, and kind.

Don’t sleep on this book or you’ll totally regret it. This high seas romp features a cast of queer, sassy, horny pirates, a spy who commits accidental treason, and a hot monk with a celibacy vow. Not only is the cast of characters amazing, but the plot is laugh out loud funny that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ready for more hijinks. The culmination of the adventure (and misadventure) with the cake competition was absolutely perfect.
I had a e-ARC and an advance copy of the audiobook to listen to (Thanks to NetGalley, TorDotCom, and RB media for the advance copies! All thoughts are my own.) So I obviously listened and read in tandem and the audiobook just takes this story to the next level. Casey Jones has such fun creating voices for the diverse cast of characters in a way that enhances their personalities and makes the fun even more real. 10/5 stars for Casey Jones and his narration!
This was such a satisfying read that has easily vaulted into my list of favorite books. A must read for fans of Our Flag Means Death.

Everything I hoped for and more. Well written; witty, loveable characters. Perfect balance of action & character development.

This was a funny and witty tale on the high seas. Avra has an item he needs to sell to the right buyer, but doesn't have he means to find one. He goes to his pirate captain ex, Tev, to try and find one. As they go along their journey, the banter is magnificent.

4.5 stars

Alexandra Rowland delivers chaotic queer pirates with insanely high sex-drives, mystifying turtle astronomy, dangerous sea serpents in breeding season, loveable glowing dogs, and an absurd cake competition in Running Close to the Wind, an unapologetically unhinged seafaring fantasy with a fun-factor that is simply off the charts!

A horny as hell former Arasti spy with inexplicable good luck, a grumpy non-binary captain fed up with everyone’s bullshit, and an ungodly hot monk with an unfortunate vow of celibacy are stuck together at sea while they try to escape the law and change the tide for the crew; no, it’s not the beginning of a bad joke, but the insanely ridiculous set-up for Running Close to the Wind.

Though set in the same queer-normative world as Rowland’s slow-burn political fantasy A Taste of Gold and Iron, this feel-good and chaotic fantasy romcom is a completely different beast and stands totally on its own. It’s raunchy yet low-spice, hysterical yet poignant, and overall just batshit crazy on every single level, but I was personally eating up the hijinx and mayhem. I mean, Rowland clearly had a strong vision, and they damn well ran with it!

Never before have I read a book with such an exceptionally infuriating, insufferable, and pathetic protagonist, whom I constantly wanted to strangle, but also inexplicably loved to pieces (for which I then wanted to strangle myself). See, our little gremlin Avra is a self-proclaimed flibbertigibbet and whiny little slut with zero impulse-control and a personality more annoying than that of a mewling, clingy wet cat, yet somehow he just burrowed his way into my heart. Don’t get me wrong, I probably would’ve yeeted him straight over the railing of the ship within seconds of meeting him myself, yet I am admittedly also exceptionally glad that the characters in Running Close to the Wind had (slightly) more patience with him than I would have had.

And speaking of other characters, it is truly beyond me how Rowland managed to write such a loud and energy-sucking protagonist without having the rest of the crew pale in comparison. The broody, witty, and suave Captain Teveri (a.k.a. the on-again, off-again ex lover whom Avra simply worships) is a really refreshing counterbalance to Avra’s chaos, and I absolutely loved their tragically entertaining captain logs at the end of most chapters. Much to their deep dismay, they just can’t seem to stop themself from being drawn in by Avra’s irresistible charm, and the amount of exasperation-fueled banter between the two amused me to no end.

But that level of queer messiness clearly wasn’t enough, so enter Brother Julian (my personal favourite). Truly, I can’t blame Avra and Teveri for low-key starting a bet on who could get him to break his vow of celibacy first, as I would have joined that competition without a second thought. However, Julian quickly proves that he is not just sinfully sexy, and his actions actually end up bringing some of the most powerful themes and social commentary into the narrative.

Because yes, while this is absolutely a fun and almost cosy fantasy romcom at its heart, there is a deep undercurrent of righteous anger woven into Running Close to the Wind that Sir Terry Pratchett himself would have been proud of. Themes of capitalism, religion, and the injustice of all-powerful institutions are delivered in a cleverly funny way, and one particularly impassioned speech by Julian had me pumping my fists in the air and screaming “FUCK YES” out loud; sometimes messages deserve to be heard loud and clear, no subtlety needed.

Now, I do have to admit that the pacing felt a bit rocky at times, but if there was ever a book which I can forgive for a slightly messy and unfocused plot, then it’s Running Close to the Wind. Between Avra’s ridiculous antics, all the crazy pirate adventures, the queer messiness, and the deliciously intense interpersonal drama, there simply wasn’t a single dull moment in this story, and I am not ashamed to admit that I devoured nearly 300 pages of it in one day.

It’s hard to give this book a glowing universal recommendation considering how subjective humour is, but if you enjoyed the vibes of Gideon the Ninth or like the idea of an even more unhinged version of Pratchett-esque absurdity, then this should be smooth sailing for you! I personally think Rowland nailed the execution of their vision for this story, and I would honestly praise this book into the heavens. If you think you are ready to meet Avra and crew to go on one of the most hysterical and delightfully queer fantasy adventures you will ever have the pleasure of experiencing, then I can’t recommend Running Close to the Wind highly enough.

Thank you to Tordotcom for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Running Close to the Wind is scheduled for release on June 11th, 2024.

This book was super goofy and funny!! A little too over the top at points but did have me laughing out loud! The plot was simple and intriguing but the characters were where it really shone. I loved the main character, he was so funny and his monologuing was great. I would definitely read a lot more books set in this world. I recommend the audiobook as it really brought the characters to life!

🌈Queer rep: bi male main character, M/NB relationship, eventual M/M/NB poly relationship. Nonbinary secondary character, FF relationships. Mention of a culture with a third gender.

I read a Taste of Gold by this author and loved it, so I knew I had to pick up this title. Running Close to the Wind is significantly different from that book, though. I really enjoyed the laugh out loud moment and all the hijinks that Avra gets himself into. It was a little too silly in parts, but I also loved the fun pirate adventure tone throughout. I do feel bad for Avra, though. I think people treat him too harshly at times. Overall, it was a fun read. 3.5 stars.

One of the most unique reading experiences I’ve ever had. This book made me laugh out loud several times, and I kind of loved the earnest horniness of it?? The characters had actual growth and arcs and yet the vast majority of the dialogue is about who, if anyone, will get to have sex with the monk who has sworn a vow of celibacy due to him being just too horny. It’s so utterly ridiculous that I truly don’t know who to recommend this book to. I had a great time with it! Should I be proud of that? Embarrassed? I don’t even know.

It’s like if Our Flag Means Death was airing on classic Adult Swim, back when the cartoons made you wonder, what was this creator on when they green lit this? It’s like if you raised a queer kid on tumblr and red 40, just allowing him to go completely feral. This book gives “I put on my robe and wizard hat” vibes and if you don’t understand what that means I can’t even explain it to you. Five stars and also what is wrong with me.

2.5

I had an interesting experience with this book. In the beginning, I loved it and was laughing hysterically. And then, it sadly went downhill. The tone of this book reminds me of a comedy show at a ren faire. Great fun for half an hour but for the length of an almost fifteen hour long audio book or a 448 page book...not so much. I will say that because of the theatrical nature and the comic dialogue, audibook is definitely the way to go.

Narrated by Casey Jones

Genre: historical fantasy, queer pirates

What a weird but fun book this was! The main POV character is *a lot* so make sure you're ready for a self identified "unpicky slut" with some of the best luck imaginable. We have a pirate crew that I'm sure was doing something plot wise, but this was a form over function fun read without a lot of true plot direction other than Avra wanting to get in Julian's pants and to annoy the captain.

I really enjoyed the narration - Casey Jones hits Avra on the nose with his antics, but he is the main POV and over-the-top is how he rolls. If you choose to listen to this narration, expect big energy out of the audiobook.

I was glad I enjoyed this one because the last book I read by Rowland was a big miss for me, and this captured all the spirit and energy I'd hope for in a queer poly pirate fantasy adventure romp.

The depth of character growth and development throughout the novel is truly outstanding. Becoming grounded in this world is really easy and I enjoyed every single moment of it.

God this book was silly. Silly in a good way. The MC was absolutely ridiculous. A former field agent, a pirate captain, and a monk with a vow of celibacy take to the high seas with the world’s most expensive secret, what could go wrong?
Queer pirates, unhinged adventures, and a goofy amount of horniness. Was I entertained? Absolutely. Am I hoping for another installment? Definitely.
I will admit I liked this better than A Taste of Gold and Iron, which takes place in the same world, in a VERY different part of the world, which really surprised me.