A giddy romp, perfect to fill the OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH-shaped hole in your heart. There are magical sea creatures, pirate shanties, emotional development, romantic interludes, and an utterly fascinating Heralds deck I'd very much like to see made real. Avra is a bit screechy at times (his most common dialogue tag is literally 'screeched') and Brother Julian a bit too good to be true -- it isn't quite as powerful on the heartstrings level as A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON but damn if it isn't meant to be a bit more fun anyway.

This book was an absolutely wild time in the best way. It's chock full of zany antics and hilarious mishaps. If you loved the humor and found family aspects of Our Flag Means Death this is the book for you! Running Close To The Wind is perpetually horny and humorous which I was very down for. The cozy fantasy setting, low stakes, and queernormative world made the book such a relaxing read. If you're looking for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still has some important things to say I absolutely recommend Running Close To The Wind.
I will say I felt like the book could have used just a bit more sincerity/heart to balance the humor. It wasn't absent of sincerity/heart by any means but because the humor was balls to the wall for most of the book, adding a bit more gravity would have balanced the book a bit better for me and given something for the humor to complement. Despite that quibble, I was still cracking up for most of this book and cannot wait for the audiobook to come out because I just know the narrator is gonna make Rowland's hilarious prose even better!

My thanks to the author for providing an ARC copy.

Alexandra Rowland's <i>Running Close to the Wind</i> is a cozy low-stakes pirate adventure set in the same world of the excellent <i>A Taste of Gold and Iron</i>, loosely connected to it by a plot point. The two books couldn’t be more different, as <i>Running Close to the Wind</i> is funny. Hysterically, being-in-stitches, laughing-on-the-floor funny. It’s so funny that it’s too funny sometimes, but it’s a joy to read a book that doesn’t take itself so seriously while simultaneously delivering some very profound reflections in the more serious segments.

The trio of main characters is a delight, their banter on point as the dynamic between Avra and Teveri expands with the arrival of the mysterious Julian and his wiles. The characters are unapologetically horny, but the book is surprisingly chaste in that regard, while also being incredibly tender in parts. I especially enjoyed the few conversations about having and defending one’s boundaries. The rest of the cast, from the colorful crew to the pirates on the island, were all painted in deft strokes, resulting in vivid characters with so much to say. It really was reminiscent of <i>Our Flag Means Death</i>, as it was pitched, and it was an absolute romp.

The world gets expanded in a really clever subversion of what we know from <i>A Taste of Gold and Iron</i>, showing what the outside world thinks exactly of the choice to keep for themselves the only way to sail safely during a certain time of the year. There’s sea serpents and giant turtles and ghosts that need a complex reference guide to be handled, and it’s all so delightful. This choice to have loosely interconnected stories where the world is explored more and more is an intriguing one, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

<i>Running Close to the Wind</i> is a fun adventure with hidden depths.

This book is being billed as "Our Flag Means Death meets Six of Crows: a new standalone novel and queer pirate fantasy adventure", The description alone told me that this book was worth my time but what this doesn't say is that this book is also a love letter to Terry Pratchett and I've honestly never laughed this hard while reading. It's freaking hilarious and it doesn't stop being hilarious all the way through. A seriously impressive amount of hilarity. I read the first quarter on the Netgalley app and then I got a physical copy in the mail (Thanks Tor Dot Com!) I literally squealed and hugged this book, that's how much I was loving it even from the beginning.

I actually find it much harder to explain why I loved a book to death than to explain my critiques. The characters in this book are the biggest delight. The main protagonist is an absolute menace of a human and yet somehow we love him anyway through his shenanigans. Captain Teveri is probably my favorite. They are both a formidable captain and a complete softie. Hot Julian truly started off as a joke of a character and then throughout the book develops so much depth and by the end I truly loved that man.

The plot is an exciting pirate adventure with some intrigue, mystery, and also a lot of sex.

I do have to mention that this is probably the horniest book I've ever read. The characters love sex and they are very open about loving it and wanting to fuck each other. But the book isn't "spicy". I absolutely adored this about the book but I do see this being a potential dislike for some people! Know thyself!

This book is a celebration of the trivial things that make a pirates life exciting. It's whimsical and hilarious, and it manages to also say some pretty deep things about our world at the end without ever losing the wonderful light tone.

I loved this book so much and I simply can't stop raving about how much I loved this read.

In "Running Close to the Wind," the standout feature undoubtedly lies in its vibrant characters, with Avra's humor standing out as particularly enjoyable. The dynamic between Avra, Julian, and Tev adds an engaging layer to the narrative, creating moments of genuine amusement. While I appreciate lighthearted and humorous books, this novel's persistent tongue-in-cheek tone becomes a double-edged sword. The initial fun gradually wears thin, leaving a longing for more substantial and sincere moments between the characters.As the narrative progresses, the reliance on chaotic, tongue-in-cheek humor becomes a limiting factor, impeding the exploration of deeper dimensions within the storyline. The absence of sufficient depth in the latter part of the book led to a diminishing appeal for me as a reader. Nevertheless, I did enjoy some elements, such as the choice to feature characters in their 30s which added a refreshing element that may resonate with many readers seeking a departure from more common age demographics in literature (16-21). While "Running Close to the Wind" offers entertaining moments, its reliance on a singular tone ultimately leaves the narrative somewhat unbalanced and less fulfilling than anticipated. 3 stars overall.

Unapologetically horny AND funny.

There’s a Venn diagram here…

In one circle, there is HO, (Avra, an undeniable hussy); then there is HO HO formed in the overlap (because this book is very funny), and then there is a third circle with YO in, (because YO HO HO; this book is about pirates)

Rowland writes like this is a sitcom. If something unlikely could happen for comic effect, it will. The kind of ludicrous conversations and situations you wished might happen in real life but never do are written out and made Extra Dramatic. But not just dramatic, but heartwarming and sweet and ridiculous.

Compulsively readable.

Featuring:

- Disaster dramatic bisexual horndog, is a sweet sexy brainless little idiot
- Grumpy (justified) non binary captain
- Extremely Hot Priest
- A suspicious streak of good luck
- Property Too Hot To Handle, in about every sense
- Spooky stuff, not least, a box of spooky dildos, and a spooky dentist (offstage)
- A Very Good and Glowing Girl (dog)
- I Am Going To Cause Problems On Purpose
- Short shorts
- Sea serpents (not just a euphemism)
- Completely unhinged cake competition (also not a euphemism)
- The word “reeee”, possibly too frequently

A joyous and passionate romp: light on spice but high on sexy humour. It will make you laugh and heal your soul. I’m coining a new genre: saucybright. It’s the opposite of grimdark but without being noblebright. @ me if you must.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc of this book.

The strength of this book is definitely the characters - Avra in particular was SO funny and the way he speaks just had me cracking up. Julian and Tev were also great and the three of them had a fantastic dynamic.

The description of this being like Our Flag Means Death is definitely accurate and if you love that kind of, comedy pirate drama-fest, you'll really enjoy this.

My only two minor complaints were that I found the plot was very slow paced and didn't really have a huge amount of action. I would have liked it to have had a little bit of SOMETHING particularly around the middle where it lagged for a while.

I also think for a book that talks about sex literally every other line, there was a disappointing lack of spice/follow through of romantic/spicy scenes. I understand that not all authors like writing smutty scenes but iirc A Taste of Gold and Iron did have a couple and I think it would have fit the subject matter of this book perfectly.

I also enjoyed that the main characters were in their thirties - so hard to find in fantasy - and all the little nods to A Taste of Gold and Iron. Overall, loved it, what a great book!

Review to come on TikTok soon!

Running Close to the Wind reminded me of everything I love best about Alexandra Rowland’s writing— a laugh out loud funny, unexpectedly tender and expertly paced romp through the high seas. Pitched as Six of Crows meets Our Flag Means Death, I absolutely adored my time with Avra, Teveri, and the (unfortunately chaste) Julian. A Taste of Gold and Iron is easily one of my favourite romantic fantasies, however RCTTW definitely harkens back to Rowland’s Tale of the Chats duology with its lighthearted humour and found family aspects. Avra especially was a delight to spend time with, and his raunchy (but markedly un-sexy, to his eternal dismay) humour had me laughing aloud every other page. I would categorise this as a cosy, character driven fantasy and think it will do especially well with readers who like a bit of low stakes fun. Like all of Rowland’s work, queerness is very much the norm and effortlessly portrayed as always, and I loved seeing a non-binary main character in Tev. Overall, I really loved this book and it just further cemented Rowland as one of my very favourite authors!

Given how much I loved a Taste of Gold and Iron, Running Close to the Wind was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Which makes me so disappointed that I didn't like it. In theory I was so down for a fun romp of a novel about pirates. What's not to love about that? But in execution, this just didn't work for me. I love fun and funny books, I really do, but I need them to also have at least *some* depth and sincerity. The problem with Running Close to the Wind is that it's tongue in cheek *all the time*. It doesn't take itself seriously, which is great, until you're 200 pages through and are starting to get tired of the funny ha-ha moments and want some actual genuine moments between characters. A novel like this can only sustain itself so long on its kind of chaotic, tongue-in-cheek humour. I needed at least *some* depth, and I didn't get it here. What starts out as a fun, funny novel starts to get grating halfway through, and then the novel just lost me.

Uproariously funny! And omg so horny. The people in this book are all horny 17 year olds, you can't convince me otherwise lol But gosh, this was such a fun read. I kept stopping and texting passages to my husband because I just HAD to share the laughs.

I loved Rowland's first book, A Taste of Gold and Iron, and I went into this expecting the same intrigue and slow burn.... but boy, was this different! And in such a great way, too. This one didn't take itself too seriously, and all the characters kind of had a thing for each other (which was totally okay, there was no tiresome jealousy or love-triangle bullshit -- so refreshing!). But it had the same intriguing plot with lots of exciting turns, all punctuated with humor.

Not one to miss!

Fun, quirky and escapist. A recommended purchase for collections where lighter fantasy and romantasy is popular.

Oh I wanted to like this so much, as it sounds like a perfect book for me. I'm a huge OFMD fan, and I have been gobbling up every pirate heist book (especially queer ones) that I can get my hands on.

After 20% of this book, I was raving about it to everyone. By 30%, I was worn out. By 50%, I DNFed.

The main character is charming and weird and silly and quirky at first, but there was no there there. He had no depth, relied on the same dirty jokes (I love dirty jokes, but give me some variety), and even in some moments when he looked like he was going to open up or show some vulnerability, never quite got there for me.

This book might be for some people, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Running Close to the Wind is rollicking fun fantasy filled to the brim with pansexual polyamorous pirates, giant turtles, sea serpents, canines of crazy colors and one neck of a cake contest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was such a fun read and the complete opposite of what I was expecting from this author post A Taste of Gold and Iron.
I can honestly say that I was not expecting a character like Avra to.enter my life but I'm ever so glad that he did. Four stars for this book which I will definitely post about on my social media closer to the release date. If you are looking for a book that is a silly, fun, surprisingly sweet read then this is a good place to start!

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Running Close to the Wind" by Alexandra Rowland sails into the turbulent waters of adventure and treachery, weaving a tale as captivating as the high seas themselves. Rowland, known for "A Taste of Gold and Iron," presents a narrative that is part "Our Flag Means Death," part "Six of Crows," replete with intrigue, humor, and a dash of romance.

The story centers around Avra Helvaçi, a former intelligence agent who inadvertently absconds with a world-altering secret. Fleeing to the open sea seems the only viable option, leading Avra to seek assistance from an ex-lover and notorious pirate, Captain Teveri az-Haffar. The plot thickens as they aim to sell the secret in the pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls, battling not just external threats but their tumultuous past. Rowland masterfully constructs a world of political chess, sea serpent dangers, and internal conflicts. The inclusion of Brother Julian, a character shrouded in mystery and bound by a vow of celibacy, adds another layer to this intricate tapestry.

Rowland's writing is a delightful mix of sharp wit and gripping narrative. The book's strength lies in its character development; each character is meticulously crafted with depth and relatability. The dynamics between Avra and Teveri are particularly engaging, oscillating between affection, resentment, and a shared history that binds them. The humor infused in the story is a standout, often serving as a clever vehicle to advance the plot and deepen character relationships.

However, the novel does occasionally tread into familiar tropes, and some readers might find the intricate plot twists a tad overwhelming. Despite these minor drawbacks, "Running Close to the Wind" remains a splendid read, particularly for fans of fantasy and high-seas adventures. The book's ending, without spoiling any details, leaves readers both satisfied and yearning for more.

In conclusion, Alexandra Rowland's "Running Close to the Wind" is a masterful blend of humor, adventure, and heartfelt moments. It’s an ideal pick for those who enjoy tales of pirates, high stakes, and complex character dynamics. With its blend of action and emotional depth, this book is more than just a romp on the high seas – it's a journey into the heart of human connections and the lengths we go to protect what we hold dear.