My sincerest thanks to Alexandra Rowland, Tor, and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to even begin… I fucking loved this book! Gay pirates! If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like in Stede Bonnet’s head dialed up about 10x, this is the book for you. If that doesn’t sound at least a little intriguing, spare yourself now. This is OFMD crossed with a dash of Cat Sebastian’s Kit Webb, plus a lot more vulgarity (because pirates). On top of all that, it reads like the silliest, most ridiculous Dungeons and Dragons live play.

Avra, an endearingly pathetic former spy, has accidentally stolen a valuable secret, and he turns to Tev, a pirate and his on-again-off-again ex, to help him sell it. Along with the crew and a mysterious, hot monk, they make their way across the sea to the pirate island where they plan to fence the secret. Will the ambassador catch them? Honestly who cares, it’s a great time regardless.

This is the fourth in a row of excellent queer books I’ve gotten from NetGalley this month!

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

I don't give 5-stars ratings often, but this book is now one of my favourites!

Avra Helvaci, a sex-obsessed ex Arasti spy with a seemingly unlimited amount of luck, steals secret government papers and begs aid form his ex-lover, Teveri az-Haffar, a pirate captain, and their crew, including the very hot but celibate monk Julian. What follows is a laugh- out-loud adventure of near misses, friendship building, giant turtles, sea serpents and a pirate cake competition.

Casey Jones, as the narrator, was a brilliant choice to bring this world to life. His characters were easily discernible from each other, and his comedic timing was superb. A scene where Avra was particularly annoying, causing a sailor to start screaming, caused actual tears of laughter.

I was slightly apprehensive at first as I realised it was set in the same world as one of Ms. Rowland's previous novels, "A Taste of Gold and Iron". In fact, it takes place just weeks after that one. I hadn't been too much of a fan of AToGaI but I was swept away by RCttW; it is written in a totally different tone. Where AToGaI was an inoffensive, pretty watercolour of a story, RCttW was a vibrant, sexy, in-your-face graffiti art of a book.

I couldn't listen to this book quickly enough; I wanted to consume every candy pop of delight it had to offer. The characters were the right amount of quirky, with Avra being overly annoying, but, tempered with the dry sarcasm of Teveri and the sultry calm of Julian; the whole experience was brilliant. I am obsessed with this version of Rowland's writing and beg her to do some more with these characters. Something about this style reminded me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, a complement I wouldn't give lightly.

I would happily recommend this novel to fans of comedic fantasy and sexy pirates.

It was a good book got quite a few laughs out of me I really enjoyed listening to it .. I would love to know what became of the main three characters I also really loved cat he was great

DNF - I just couldn't get into this. It's like we we're matching poles of a magnet just completely repelling each other and no matter what I couldn't bring my focus in to it. I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened - it felt like white noise in the background. I'm not saying the book is bad. By all means it could just be I'm burnt out but I just know i have no interest anymore

The world building in this book took me by surprise, when every other sentence was about swallowing dicks like pythons. It was an odd but not altogether unwelcome dichotomy, in which the author described an entire fantasy world with religions, social structure, ecology and mythologies and then promptly re-focused on the main character wanting to screw everything that moves. I will say that the main character was a little bit TOO annoying for me. I get he was supposed to be annoying and surprisingly adored by the locals but it was a lot. However, the narrators voice for him might have been part of it. The narrator was excellent at every other portion of the book but the voice for Avra was hard to listen to. Again, that may have been purposeful but I’d still be interested to see what others think reading the physical book.

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.
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.

This book was nothing like I expected.... as it began I was expecting it to be the smuttiest book I've read so far this year... while I am not opposed to smut, it is not really something I seek out. But to my delight it turned out most of the characters "all talk" and when they did follow through and the beautifully filthy things that they said it was a closed-door scenario.

That being said... this is not an under-18s read!

The extreme horniness of almost every character was both far too overdone and completely entertaining all at once. It felt like three stories were being told at once and only 3rd one I found to be compelling.

We cannot ignore the fact that LGBTQIA+ are not in any way shape or form in the background or filler character just because the author felt like they should stick a gay character in there to appear equal. This author made Queerness and the open acceptance of queerness the complete and utter norm in her world. And yes other authors do this... but their leads are all still straight and just appear unruffled but the appearance of queer people in their world and stories.

It this reason alone I toyed with the idea of 3 stars and decided to give 4. Because of the unapologetic boldness and utter lack of shame, these characters had.

The "Mission" however left me wanting, it was disjointed and erratic. I honestly believe had the author made the completely absurd and absolutely fantastic cake competition the main mission of this whole crew we would have had a totally wild, hilarious, horny-as-hell ride!

So.... did I like this book? Honestly, I'm not sure. But it was certainly a wild ride.

La verdad, no sé si rendirme ya con Alexandra Rowland o seguir intentando encontrar a la escritora que tanto me gustó con A Conspiracy of Truths pero que me decepcionó terriblemente en A Taste of Gold and Iron. Con Running Close to the Wind recupera un poco el crédito perdido, pero no deja de ser una broma un tanto chabacana demasiado estirada.


Reconozco que la narración del audiolibro en manos de Casey Jones contribuye muchísimo a que el libro me haya entrado algo mejor que si hubiera sido solo el texto, porque la interpretación que hace de los personajes es sencillamente estupenda. Un libro de humor que basa todo el peso de la obra en las bromas sexuales requiere de un lector muy especial para no pasar la frontera entre lo divertido y lo vulgar. Creo que Casey lo consigue, lo cual tiene mucho mérito.

En cuanto al libro en sí, está tan enormemente volcado en hacernos reír con las constantes referencias sexuales del narrador y sus allegados que la verdad, deja poco poso. Avra Helvaçi es un espía, pero se pasa la vida pensando más con su miembro viril que con cualquier otro órgano de su cuerpo. Cuando la fortuna de la que hace gala durante toda la novela lo sitúa en el mismo barco que su antiguo amante el capitán Teveri az-Haffar y el hermano Julian con su inconveniente voto de abstinencia, todo se convierte en un carrusel de exaltación de la belleza de ambos, con una dura competición en la escala de Henrycavillismo que me acabo de inventar pero que sin duda sabréis interpretar. Que haya un secreto que descifrar, una conspiración que desentrañar y mucho dinero que ganar palidece frente a la posibilidad de envainar el sable pirata.

La única vez en la que deja de tener tantísima relevancia el sexo es en una competición de pasteles entre los piratas, por que, ¿por qué no? Claro que ya no me sorprende nada, ahí tenemos la novela de Lavanya Lakshminarayan Interstellar Megachef o la serie Disco Space Opera de Cat Rambo para saber cuánto daño ha hecho Master Chef en el imaginario colectivo de los autores del fantástico.

La broma se alarga demasiado para mi gusto, porque me temo que el humor que destila no es exactamente el mío. No está mal escrito y puede ser divertido, pero no lo puedo recomendar.

This book was the funniest thing ever! The narrator was amazing at making silly voices and that made it 10 times more hilarious I think. I love that more and more fantasy worlds are queer normative, I think that's a great way to exploit that aspect of the fantasy genre, that possibility to completely let go of our society's norms and tabous. I do think that because it was so silly all the time, it lacked any stakes whatsoever and that made it a little hard to truly care for any of the characters. 4 stars

I loved A Taste of Gold and Iron, so I was very excited to read this new pirate novel set in the same world. Sadly it didn't work for me. I found this to be more silly than funny, way too many sexual innuendos that at times felt too crude, the main character as a 35yo mad describing himself as a "silly little slut". multiple times. This book, unfortunately was not for me, and no one is more disappointed than I am.

I did love that Casey Jones narrated this - I listened to ATOGAI so I was thrilled when I stared this and heard he was the narrator too.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Taika Waititi, look away.

I was so beyond excited for this book when I read it was like “Our Flag Means Death.” Pirate stories are some of my personal favorites, and I’ve been so excited to see that they’re getting a comeback. My last pirate book on Netgalley has been one of my favorites of the entire year, so I came into this book with the belief that I would love this. I expected wit humor and loveable characters, but that was NOT what I got. Instead, this book was a Walmart version of this beloved show. Avra’s personality is childlike and everyone else was one dimensional.

The writing felt too much like the author was trying to copy and paste OFMD with minimal changes, but the changes were either childish or cringe. I feel like the premise was super intriguing, but if this author tried to write it in her own style instead of stealing another’s, then it could have been worth finishing. I might have even liked it.

Ultimately, I dnf’d this book at less than 10% because I simply could not bring myself to continue. Big disappointment.

Utterly ridiculous! I can't remember the last adult book that made me laugh out loud so much.

Closed door adult fantasy/comedy with a dash of romance and A LOT of sex jokes.

I don’t know what else to say that other people haven't said already.

The perfect book to pick when you just want something that doesn't take itself seriously (like at all).

The narrator's decision to voice the mc like that was definitely a choice and I’m not against it. Others found it annoying but I can’t picture him any other way now.

Thanks to RB Media / Recorded books for providing me with a free audiobook via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is potentially one of the hardest ones I’ve had to decompress and think about to work out how I would rate it. There are some elements that would come close to 5 stars for me at times, although they are rarely fully realised. But there are so many moments that feel like they fell short of their potential and leave me feeling underwhelmed.

I enjoyed A Taste of Gold and Iron immensely when I read it and I know it’s a favourite that has a lot of people excited for this. What I would say is that this is DRASTICALLY different in tone and vibe to ATOGAI, to the degree I would almost actively warn people against reading this if that was the sort of story they were after cause I think you would be setting yourself up for disappointment.

When I was younger one of my favourite games was the Tales of Monkey Island series with Guybrush Threepwood. I loved those games so much. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that this sourced some degree of inspiration from that material because the content and the humor of this felt very reminiscent to me. I did find myself chuckling along to this pretty regularly, but the humor is very slapsticky and juvenile and sometimes belabors the point in its efforts to be funny to the degree where it misses the landing. The source of the humor is also regularly very sexual in nature which is kind of frustrating because this book absolutely blue balls the reader. Honestly, it left me a bit confused and unfulfilled at times because the jokes were often graphically sexual in nature however there was literally zero spice, barely even fade to black. It kind of feels a bit like it needed to pick a lane and stick to it.

I did love the all of the characters in this though, and if their relationships weren’t as fun as they were the rating would be much lower.

Avra, the self professed “silly slut with a head as empty as a new bucket” is an ex-Arasti spy who has been blessed by the goddess of luck (think Domino from Deadpool but less showy). Avra comes into the possession of an incredibly important government secret after he wandered into the ship builders guild on an excursion to test his luck. Avra then finds himself and his secret on the ship of his on-again-off-again ex, Pirate Captain Tevari (along with the recent edition to the ship, the very handsome monk Julian) and then ensues silly adventures in their efforts to unravel and sell Avras secret.

This part is potentially a bit spoilery in terms of the relationship so read on at your own discretion…..





Honestly, this is one of the few times where I feel like a polyamorous relationship is portrayed well and I understand the how the dynamic works and the potential between the parties and it’s not just played for novelty. Avra and Tevari obviously hold a lot of love and affection for each other but struggle to communicate it and be on the same page, Julian’s edition to their dynamic as a bridge and mediator between them, while caring for both of them, is very sweet and makes so much sense. Honestly, I feel like this book shone the brightest when these three were navigating their relationships together and with each other and would happily just read more of that. That being said they also never explicitly establish their dynamic as a polyamorous dynamic (noting the above blue balling of the reader) and it’s all mostly just implied and suggested.

I was fortunate enough to be provided an audio ARC of this and had a great time with it and think that the voice narration was pretty fantastic and lent a lot of character to the story. I didn’t love the voice put on for Avra but got used to it after a while and would happily listen to Tev read a shopping list to me.

A long story short, I think that I need to rate this 4 stars for the sake of the parts I enjoyed, but the story itself often veered into 3 star territory. I might feel differently about this upon reflection though. I think if you adjust your expectations this story has all going for it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listed to and provide my thoughts on this audio ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the narrator, and the publisher for this early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Laughed my guts out reading this driving to and from work every day for about a week and a half, I LOVED this crazy, whacky book, full of colorful, zany, characters just oozing personality and charm. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, giving each of the main characters their own voice and accents. This is an auto-buy for me when it comes out, and I'm excited to read more from Alexandra Rowland.

What was the plot?

I really wanted to like this book! From the cover to the description it sounded like an amazing book but it didnt live up to expectations. Don't get me wrong it was halarious, the sexual jokes and innuendos were great. it just that all there was.


Thank you to Alexandra Rowland, RB Media and NetGalley for the audio-digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

An ex-intelligence agent stole a huge state secret and teams up with the captain of a pirate ship, his ex. They end up bringing a man on board who made a vow of celibacy. They try to sell this secret and make money. Luck is somehow involved in their dealings.

This is a different kind of book. It is an adventurous, satirical and (some would say) humorous story about friendships, relationships, and acceptance. I couldn’t really get into it. I did have a hard time following the storyline because of all the jokes in it and it is comparable to skits on Saturday Night Live, Mad TV, and Whose Line is it Anyway?.

The narration was performed by Casey Jones. If I had to read the book instead of listen to the audiobook, then i would DNF this story. Some of the jokes were cringe-worthy and the audio seemed to drag on. I tried to tell myself that I liked it but I was lying to myself.

I don’t like to leave reviews like this. I wish it could have been a better experience for me. When I read what the book was about before starting the audiobook, I believed I would enjoy it. I didn’t.

Special thanks to #NetGalley and #RBMedia for the #ARC to review. Publication date is set for June 11, 2024.

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.

I noticed this book for two reasons: first, the cover image is striking and enticing; second, the description mentions it as a good fit for fans of Our Flag Means Death. This had me hooked, so without further ado…

Welcome to the world of sea monsters, horny pirates, and… turtle astrology..? 😆

Upon reading this book, I was NOT disappointed! Sailing the seas and straight into my heart are Avra, Teveri, and the whole crew. The book offers readers a humorous narrative with exciting plot twists, lots of flirtatious spice, and a whole lot of sass.

Avra brings a raunchy, horny brilliance to the story, always fawning after something he simply can’t have, and yet he is the luckiest man alive. Quirky and adorable in an irritating way, Avra’s personality won me over in the first few chapters. Only to continue to grow on me as the journey went on.

Teveri, our captain, is nonbinary with a sultry flair about them. They are in a constant state of annoyance with Avra and all his absolutely crazy antics. My absolute favorite parts of the book are anytime Tev is huffing due to something Avra has done, such as randomly yelling out to gain their attention. Tev is the main love interest for our dear Avra—until he meets Julian, a devilishly handsome monk sailor with little interest in abandoning his vow of celibacy. Most everyone who meets him would agree that he is handsome and wants him immediately.

The book features wonderful characters that are easy to love. The writing is superb and habit-forming, in all honesty. This is why Running Close to the Wind has earned a four-star review from me.

I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for connecting me to this free ARC and Alexandra Rowland for writing this hilarious book. This review is my honest opinion of this writing.

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.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Tordotcom for an ALC and eARC of this to review. Running Close to the Wind is out 6/11/24.

Narrated by Casey Jones
Presented by RB Media

I honestly have absolutely no idea what happened in this book amongst all the d*ck jokes and sexual innuendo. Something to do with pirates which could have actually been cool but definitely wasn't.

Complete trash.

Unless you're into d*ck jokes, I guess.

I lost hope for this almost immediately, and if it hadn't been a NetGalley read I'd have DNF'd it on the spot.

The barrage of sex jokes is so off-putting that I found myself constantly rolling my eyes and tuning out. There are characters here that deserved better than what they were given, and I found it so disappointing.

Nothing really seemed to happen - there's a serpent at one stage and a ridiculous baking competition (??!) but not really much else beyond a bunch of boys wanting to f*ck each other etc. It got real old, real fast.

Honestly, I just ended up tuning so much of it out. I was actually listening at 3x speed at one stage just to try and get through it.

The only reason this gets a second star from me is for the narration, which was absolutely spectacular. Honestly, if you are into sassy boys who make a LOT of d*ck jokes then you should actually enjoy this immensely and I highly recommend the audio because the delivery was brilliant.

Story, though? Forget it.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC