I loved this book so much. A Taste of Gold and Iron is one of my favorite books of all time so I was desperate to read Alexandra Rowland's latest. Avra felt Tadek-coded in all of the best ways. I was quite literally laughing out loud listening to this audiobook (narrated by the same person who did Gold & Iron btw). I can't recommend this book enough if you want something lighthearted to read!

This book was very funny. but the pirate theme just wasn't for me. I didn't hate this book. it just wasn't for me. it was funny though, i'll give her that!!

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for the ALC!

- I am absolutely obsessed with this book. Like when I finished it, I immediately started the audio back over-and that’s saying a lot because I rarely reread books! But I also cannot think of another book I’ve read that even slightly approaches the levels of nonsense in this one!
- This book is incredibly silly and absurd, and it is definitely not going to be for everyone. It does show you how silly it will be from the start, so you should know if you’ll enjoy it pretty quickly. This impressed me, because it’s so silly that Rowland can drop all sorts of random information that you don’t even notice what she’s been building to until it happens.
- I loved that Avra is cursed with good luck, because it makes it so easy to Rowland to write absolute absurdity, while it also seeming plausible because you can blame it on Avra’s curse!
- Avra is a phenomenal character (imagine the most annoyingly needy cat but make it also very horny and curse it with good luck), and the narrations take his character to the next level. I highly, highly, highly recommend the audio, specifically because of how good the narrator is at making the most strange noises (all of the reeees were done perfectly).
- I loved how the ending manages to wrap everything up while also managing to up the absurdity?

I have never laughed so hard at a book in my life. I have no idea what I was expecting going into this - high fantasy? Political machinations? Queer pirates? I got all of these for sure, but in a tone and style I 100% could not have guessed I was going to get.

THis book is a truly unique experience. This is my first Rowland book but I never felt lost with the worldbuilding, which is surprisingly comprehensive and intricate for such a comedic book. The characters play off each other beautifully and somehow manage to remain well-rounded despite the hijinks and EXTREME melodrama.

The narrator does an INCREDIBLE job with the character voices. Like seriously, they sound like entirely different people. They had the perfect rhythm for the dialogue back and forths, and really brought the characters to life along with the world. 10/10 no notes.

If you liked Our Flag Means Death, but wanted even more comedy and definitely a lot more sex, this is the book for you.

If you want an incredible funny and queer pirate book then this is the book for you.

And though most of the time it was funny, the main character Avra sometimes tried to be too funny and i found that not landing with me and instead being irritating. But thats the thing about humour, its the most difficult to make it land for everyone.

Overall it was good but the humour was the deciding factor for this book.

I found myself pulled in by the characters and the world. I love how this author crafts their queer characters. However, where I struggled was the fast-pacing and sense of chaotic-ness to the piece. I felt bounced around, back and forth and needed it to feel more linear at times. I moved from the audio to the ebook and that helped my find my place a bit better.

The narration was strong but it was the pacing that made me move from audio to ebook.

Running close to the wind was such a fun read and even better in audio! I loved the pirate theme but it was modernized. Fun adventure story.

This is my favorite book of the year, and it's not even close. Funny, charming, and full of adventure, Running Close to the Wind is the book fans of Our Flag Means Death should be reading. I was laughing with every page, but the emotional core of the book was a surprisingly sincere relationship story that tied everything together. I'll be re-reading immediately.

This book was so fun! I'd heard from a few people before starting it how funny it was and they were definitely right!

For me it was definitely the characters that made this book. While the plot was interesting, I kept reading and rated it 4 stars because of the characters. They all had very distinctive personalities that made for interesting character dynamics.

I also loved how this was a queernorm world. This book has a lot of sexual references and language but it wasn't very explicit which I enjoyed. It meant I could enjoy the humour of the book without it becoming too romance heavy. I enjoyed the casual nature of it.

This book doesn't take itself seriously and is just a lot of entertaining fun. If you go into it expecting to just have a good time and enjoy the characters then I think you'll like it.

It had a very different feel to A Taste of Gold and Iron but I enjoyed them both and looking forward to seeing what Alexandra Rowland writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for this audio copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book!!! Such a good story and great writing style. This was my first by this author and will not be my last! This was a different type of book for me but I loved it!!

Running Close to the Wind was nothing that I expected, and it quickly turned into one of my new comfort books. I loved that the conflict was quickly resolved, and it was essentially a group of poor goofy pirates doing everything possible to make a name for themselves.

If you’re looking for a found family, LGBTQ+ representation, and pirate adventures, this is the perfect book for you!

Also, Fleabag would have LOVED Julian.

The author is straining every sinew here to be whimsical, funny and witty. Unfortunately, based on this book, they are none of these things. If you’re looking for swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, then there are lots of far better books. I feel like the author watched Our Flag Means Death, ignored the subtleties of the show and focused on the marketability, then set out to write the ‘feels’ with no real plot in mind. Not for me.

Thank you to Tor, NetGalley, and Alexandra Rowland for the chance to read and review this book, all opinions are my own.

Listening to audiobooks is always my preferred reading method and I was stoked to get a chance to listen to this one ahead of time. Casey Jones was a perfect narrator and did a fantastic job of differentiating between all of the many characters. Plus I want to just start laughing every time I think of "eeeee"

Now for the book itself:
I absolutely loved Rowland's A Taste of Golden and Iron and couldn’t wait to read another book in this world. I am pleased to say that if you loved the richly developed world building and characters you can’t help but fall in love with then you will definitely enjoy Running Close to the Wind. If what you loved from that book was the heartwarming and romantic relationship - well you should look elsewhere, there is no romance here!

Running Close to the Wind is the story of Avra Helvaci who is quite possibly the most disaster of a character I have ever read about. Accidental thief, unwillingly kidnapped and forced into piracy, Avra seems to have the worst luck (while also somehow being the luckiest person in the world). He is absolutely endearing and might also drive you a little crazy. I sympathize with Teveri, the pirate captain and Avra's sometimes bed partner. Their love-hate relationship dynamic was hilarious and had me laughing out loud multiple times. In fact, I loved all of the characters, even the ones we only met for a page or two. Rowland has such an amazing ability to make you care about characters you just met and want to protect them at all costs. They make the world feel so well rounded and interesting.

The humor and Avra's over the top behavior is one of the best things about this book. I know that not everyone is going to enjoy Avra's brand of humor but the good thing is that you get plenty examples of this in the first chapter and I think readers will know right away whether this book is for them or not. Things only get more silly and more bizarre as the book goes on, in the best way.

One thing I wanted more of in ATOGAI was more plot and I love that RCTTW had a very clear plot and exciting adventures while also giving us plenty of time to get to know this richly developed world - like blue dogs and cake competitions! The cake competition was my favorite part for how
absolutely ridiculous it was but also how seriously the characters take it. It is the perfect metaphor for the entire book.

There are no spice scenes in this book but there is plenty of spicy talk (Avra is not shy about his desire to sleep with just about EVERYONE) so again, if that isn't your thing, steer clear.

If you love queer pirate adventures and are super sad Our Flag Means Death wasn't renewed, this book will bring you a bit of joy!

📚Review: Running Close To The Wind 🏴‍☠️

Thank you, @tordotcompub for the #gifted copy! 😘

By: Alexandra Rowland
Publishing: June 11, 2024

Avra Helvaçi, former field agent of the Araşti Ministry of Intelligence, accidentally finds the most expensive secret in the world and the only place to flee with a secret that big is the open sea. To find a buyer, Avra asks for help from his on-again, off-again ex—the pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār. Teveri is far from happy to see him, but together they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic, the Isles of Lost Souls, and sell it to as many people as possible before fleeing to safety. The only things in their way? A calculating new Araşti ambassador on the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season; and, almost certain doom. But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings―and, more important, they’ll be legends!

What a hilarious pirate romp!

I read this the same month as A Taste of Gold and Iron and wowza, talk about two different books! This one is allllll about humor and adventure and I loved it. I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone, especially if you’re not a little sexually open minded, but I think the people it’s intended for will love it as much as I did.

For me, the book is largely driven by the characters. I cackled reading the moments between Avra, Teveri, and Julian! Talk about chemistry and sexual tension! Avra’s “witchy” luck was so fun to see play out, especially the ways it paid off later on. Julian seems so dang hot and I respect Teveri’s leadership.

Pick this one up if you’re looking to giggle while on a high sea adventure!

Verdict: Loved 😘

Running close to the wind
3.5/5 stars
1/5 spice (but very explicit in language)
Genre: Cozy Romantasy / Magical realism
Would reread? Yes
Would recommend? Yes, to certain people
Vibes: 🐍🏴‍☠️⚓️⛵️👻🏳️‍🌈🗡️🥃💰

I should start off by saying this is one of the few pirate romances I have read and it is definitely what a pirate romance should be - a swashbuckling adventure full of rocking seas and ridiculous banter. It took me awhile to understand and "get into" the tone and humor, but I think that was part of the point. The book takes place in a queer-normative world, where everyone can be fully themselves and no one questions it. It's really beautiful.

As an aside, it is wildly surprising how little sex takes place for how often it is mentioned and how many sex jokes there are. Would have loved to see more sex lol

Some themes and tropes:
-LGBTQ+
-Hilarious, silly, witty, and WILD
-Pirates on a quest
-Magical realism🐍👻
-Single POV (with letters and journal entries from others)
-Cozy Romantasy but very explicit (tons of F-bombs, Avra thinks and talks about sex 90% of the time - not in a crude way, but in a flirty way)
-Love triangle (kinda) between a poet, captain, and a celibate monk
-Communicating with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you

As a personal thorn, I didn't appreciate all the coersion and sex jokes made TO a celibate monk. I didn't find them funny or sexy, I found them disrespectful. We find out later that its consensual, but it would have been helpful to know this earlier on because I felt like the character Julien was getting harassed the whole time. I'm not against the sex or a love triangle - I'm not cool with lack of consent.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC. I LOVED the narration. It was a hoot.

queer pirates. do i need to say more?

this was bizarre in the best of ways. i loved avra and i cracked up so many times while listening that i had to stop the book and catch my breath.

if you’re going to read this (which you totally should) the audiobook is the way to go. it was PHENOMENAL.

the way i was actually obsessed with this book and am forcing everyone to read it. this book was so much fun. it has found family on a pirate ship, queer rep for days and disability rep. i love finding characters in fantasy stories with blindness and Tevs character was so good. the relationship between the captain tev and their crewmate avra is one of my favorite dynamics now so love that for me. please note that this book doesnt take itself seriously and that is part of its charm and there is a lot of crass humor and this book had me actually lolling a lot. i would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun fantasy book. i highly the audiobook as the narrator did a phenomenal job to the ooint where i was thinking about the characters in the voices he gave them.

The first third of the book was a serious struggle. I LOVED the world and the one liners. Such an original feel. The sheer dumb luck involved was hysterical.

This book would have been a 5 star for me, if you remove a lot of the overly crass comments.
The cake competition, pirate shenanigans, And one of a kind creatures were the highlights for me. Really wanted to rate this higher, but just couldn't do it.

In the Fantasy Romance novel “Running Close to the Wind” by Alexandra Rowland we follow the protagonist Avra who finds himself on a ship on the open sea with the single most valuable secret in his possession. Trying to make the most money off of it he gets himself into more trouble than he has bargained for.

With a heavy heart I had to DNF this book. On paper the setting and characters should have worked perfectly for me but I wasn't prepared for the volume and frequency of vulgarity and sexual themes. The writing style was just not to my taste. But if you like an unhinged, horny story set on the sea, definitely give it a try.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narration by Casey Jones is great. Their voice was very fitting for the characters and pleasant to listen to.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher RB Media for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you read this book and didn’t find it funny, we can’t be friends. This was an utter delight of a story, which felt both rambunctious and cozy, with characters that will have you both gasping and endeared to with each turn of the page. I read this both as an audiobook and digital ARC, and I must say, the audiobook was so incredibly told. The voices, the acting, the delivery - all perfection in my book!

At first, I wasn’t too sure about our main character Avra as he came off instantaneously annoying. However, there was something about his annoyingness, which I started to enjoy and found that this is evidently part of his charm (as this has the same affect on the characters he interacts with.)

I know this story is comp’d as “You’ll love this if you loved Our Flag Means Death” and I truly now want to retry watching the show again. I didn’t jive with the show in the first 20 mins but perhaps it’s going to be similar to how I felt about Avra?

Regardless, the story comes across as high stakes, but in actuality is mid to low stakes, and by golly, the last third is about a cake competition. I’m bewildered by how silly and laugh-out-loud funny this story, in juxtaposition to how well the story is actually written. The prose astonished me at times, especially when it’s dialogue coming from our ridiculously annoying and charming Avra.

For my first Alexanda Rowland book, I’m a huge fan of her writing in this and excited to dig into A Taste of Gold and Iron at some point.