This book was not entirely what I expected, but I did enjoy it. If you've read a Taste of Gold and Iron, this book is set in the same world and references some events of that books (mainly the break in in the Shipmaker's Guild), but at the same time it's a very different kind of book. Where a Taste of Gold and Iron was serious in tone, sincere and romantic, this book takes nothing seriously.

Running Close to the Wind follows Avra, an Arasti man who works as a field agent for Intelligence. How he got and kept this job, I have no idea. At the start of the book, he's stolen a very expensive Arasti secret. By accident. He has a streak of unexplainable luck and figured he'd test it by breaking into the Shipmaker's Guild because someone recently tried and failed to do that. He succeeded, accidently stumbles into a secret safe and finds a recipe that is supposed to ward of sea serpents.

He runs to the open sea, and entirely by accident ends up back on his ex's ship, grumpy pirate captain Teveri (whose grumpiness seems justified, I'd also be fed up with Avra's antics at this point). Here he also meets sexy monk Julian with a very unfortunate vow of celibacy. Together, they try to figure out a way to sell the secret for max profit.

I quite liked Brother Julian as a character, and Teveri too, though Avra at times did test the limits of how much I could handle. Avra pretty much only ever thinks about sex, and this book is incredibly horny even though there are no on page sex scenes. I cannot take Avra seriously as a character, but I don't think you're supposed to.

I liked the commentary at the end, though it is funny how much the government of Arast gets criticized here considering the previous book was about the prince of that country.

The book leaves a lot of things unclear and unexplained, and the ending was rather abrupt, but I do think it works. There's some scenes that I'd usually see keep going on for way too long (pages of Avra complaining about his fate as an alley rat beseeched by possums), but here it works because it has this comedic effect, but you do need some patience for Avra's antics.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy pirate comedy, OFMD fans, and people who liked the humor in Voyage of the Damned. This is similar but much worse.

This is advertised with being in the same world as “A Taste of Gold and Iron” but be aware this is VERY different tonally!
“Our Fag Means Death” is probably a good comparison – it also has over the top humor and pirates!

I’m giving it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars, since a lot of the things I didn’t like were just my personal preference.
The start of the book is very over the top, funny, ridiculous – not much is taken seriously (in the book generally, but even more so at the start). For me, this also felt like it took a while before the characters had any more depth than a caricature of themselves, and before the plot actually starts to get really interesting.

Read this if you want a fun adventure with shenanigans and hijinks, half-baked plans, a queer-normative world, a whole ship and island of quirky characters, generally a comedy with an underlayer of character plot and backstory which often includes them breaking away from the norms of the world (They are pirates after all).
The themes are more focused on the pirates as a society than on pirates attacking people on the high seas, and more on the lucky and unlucky situations everyone gets into than on actual heist plots.

For me personally, some things didn’t quite work out. At the start, I had trouble really connecting with Avra as the POV character, since while he is funny and chaotic, at the start that is almost all he is – later on, he and all the other characters get more depth.
It could have had a little less of what I would call “horniness”, since a lot of the character motivation is trying to get laid by specific other characters, and many scenes and interactions refer back to mentions of that. There are no actual sex scenes on page, but the sentiment is there throughout the whole book. If that is your trope, then absolutely read this! It just happens to not be my favourite trope.

All in all I really enjoyed the book more and more as I read on, when we get more character and story depth, more plot development, all while the overall funny tone keeps up, just enhanced with the additional substance. By the end I was thoroughly invested!

The book overall shows more a window to the lives of these characters, a lot of things happen before the book starts and some are implied after the book ends – this works well enough storywise, but left me wanting a bit more.
All in all, I absolutely adore Julian as a character, and it’s absolutely amazing how nicely all of them mesh together in the story.


A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The first thing to know is Running Close to the Wind is entirely ridiculous. Humour is very subjective and this didn’t always hit the right spot for me, but it was worth reading for the cake competition alone!

When Avri returns to the ship, he finds Teveri has hired a sexy new member of crew, a mysterious monk. He’s a little jealous, but also he cannot believe a celibate monk can be that sexy and also a pirate. He must have some secret, and Avri will use his wiles (unsuccessfully) to find out.
It’s very sex positive. Avra wants to have sex with his captain and with Brother Julian. It seems at he’s happy to have sex with anyone. Since Julian is celibate, it was a bit close to harrassment that Avra would keep going about it, trying to tempt him to break his vows.

I still don’t really know what makes a dildo spooky. Is it scary? Themed? Magic? There’s also a spooky dentist mentioned a fair bit. I felt like an old person not understanding what the kids are saying!

The cake competition is a bit random, I’ll admit. Teveri’s crew is hired to guard a cake, but that’s not the only responsibility. No, they must also never be heard whispering a word of praise for any of the other competitor’s cakes, so they go round insulting them at every opportunity. Pirates take their cakes very seriously!

*ARC Review (NetGalley)*

What I loved:

I laughed a lot with this book, especially in the later parts of the story - the Cake Competition was one of the funniest payoffs I've read in ages! While Avra takes a little while to get used to (especially if you're not into dialogue-driven narratives or intentionally annoying main characters), you find he grows on you so slowly that, all of a sudden, you have fallen in love with him. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! Running Close to the Wind also feels effortlessly diverse: it has multi-cultural, non-binary and queer representation on every page and feels so rich because of it - RCttW shows just how easy it is to cater to every taste, and more books should take note!

What I didn't love:

All of the sex in this book is behind closed doors! Despite the characters, especially Avra, being very vocal in talking about sex, role-play, kinks etc., I was slightly disheartened to never have the pay-off of an actual sex scene between any of the characters. Saying that, graphic spice is not to everyone's taste, so this actually could be a "pro" for many readers - hence why I'm mentioning it! As I mentioned above, it did take me quite a while to get into the story (truthfully at least 3/4 in before I was really enjoying myself) but I'm glad I persevered - it was worth it!!

4.5⭐️

Firstly, anyone who knows me knows that I am feral for anything remotely pirate-y. I love pirates. And queer pirates??? Yes please. So I knew before reading that I would at least love that part of this book.

What I wasn't expecting was how much this book made me cackle with laughter, I was literally smirking, giggling, kicking my feet reading this! Avra was just everything, I mean, I knew from the first page of this that I would love him. His hilariously outlandish personality was so endearing and I personally ADORE the consistently hugh energy flurry of words that is synonymous with Avra. I just loved the characterisation, I felt a strong affinity with him especially on the whole 'talk until someone stops you' front. I loved all of the characters to be honest, I just had a really great cosy time.
I think that if you go into this book expecting that OTT, unhinged and chaotic humour it is an excellent read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Alexandra Rowland for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan, and Alexandra Rowland for a copy in this in return for an honest review!

Running Close to the Wind was a fun, fantastical, humorous romp of a book! Based on the blurb I was expecting something a bit more serious, but I was delighted to discover I was wrong. Took me a little while to get into the swing of it, but I was entirely won over by the wild, fun, and obscene characters that litter this book!

Rowland has an entirely unique, and deeply amusing, style of writing. Her world, and the world building she establishes throughout, treads an unusual line; on one hand a serious, anti-colonial, and politically charged setting, on the other a place where men are called 'Eel-Faced Yusin', carve skulls in cliff-faces, and occasionally languish seductively on the top of wardrobes... whilst fighting friends off with tiny knives.

This book was also one filled with relationships, both romantic and familial. It is easy to fall in love with these characters, because you can see why those around them do. That being said, I think this is a rare example of a work that talks about sex a lot, and I do mean a lot, but is in fact closed door. An unusual. but not unpleasant, dichotomy.

I also really enjoyed the framing devices Rowland uses, including defining the tarot-like Heralds cards, and giving us snippets of Tev's Captain's log. This novel is wholly it's own. For some this will be an immediate 5 stars, it looses marks from me, just because it was so far from what I think the cover, and blurb suggest, and it definitely threw me off for a few chapters.

Overall, a really well thought-out and unique adventure story, rife with emotion and excitement. If there is a sequel, I will be reading it!

DNF at 23%
God!! I wanted to like this book so so much! Like - I adored Six of Crows, I loved Our Flag Means Death, anything that promises a combination of the both should have been a nailed on four stars minimum for me, but this unfortunately didn’t deliver. I felt like I couldn’t connect to the characters at all - there was absolutely no reason to, because they didn’t feel real? Like, almost every single line was quippy one-liner and whilst at first it was funny they grew old quite quickly. Plus the fact Avra was supposed to be 35 did not feel believable, just based off how he went about things ?? Like I dunno. If the humour was dialled down by like. 20%. I probably could have finished but it was just very very overbearing.

I also felt like quite a lot of the humour relied on random = funny, which sometimes work, but quite often it didn’t in this.

There was also very little plot some 20% in which just made reading this a bit of a drag - I just felt like character focus to plot was very unbalanced which didn’t actually help with connecting to the characters because they just weren’t doing very much.

This was an incredibly fun adventure novel. I loved all the characters, even if the main character was quite over the top sometimes! If you love our flag means death you will love this!

We follow Avra who joins the crew of Tevari, an infamous pirate captain with whom he shares a tumultuous history. Avra has stolen some important documents from the empire which they decide they will try and decrypt to discover the secret to sailing on dangerous seas year round and sell the information. They are joined by a sexy celibate monk called Julian, whom they are both trying to seduce (I loved Julian as a character, he was probably my favourite! Big himbo energy!!).

I loved the atmosphere of this book, it is set mostly in a pirate town which is a really fun setting and very well written. I loved all the characters as well, they all have such big personalities, which are entertaining to read.

My only thing I didn't get on with so well was the humour, I found it a bit over the top and juvenile, and I think the book could have kept the same light hearted tone without some of the jokes that felt a bit cringy.

I don’t really know where to start with this review. For the first third of this book I was so unsure and wasn’t really enjoying it. The humour didn’t work for me, the pacing felt off, and I just couldn’t connect with the characters. Then all of a sudden it just clicked for me and I was having a great time.

I really learnt to love the characters in this book and I think it’s when exploring their dynamic this book really shines. This was such a silly fun time and if that’s what you’re looking to get out of reading this I think you’ll have a great time. The book has so many great moments and interesting things to say and at its heart is a queer comedy and overall I’m glad to have read it!

I can’t wait to read more of Rowland’s work, their characters definitely resonated with me and I’d love to see how their other stories work for me.

I’m afraid this book is a DNF for me… I absolutely adored A Taste of Gold and Iron, and this book set in the same world was my most anticipated read of this year, and when I got an e-arc I was so happy! But I’m afraid I have one major problem: I really hate the main character. He is The. Worst. I was hoping the character growth would redeem him somewhat but that has yet to happen. There is a lot of humor in this book and while that normally is my thing, I thought it was a bit too crude at times and also a bit too much. I should’ve known though as they obviously are pirates, but it just isn’t my cup of tea. Add to that that all “th’s” were missing from my copy (let me tell you there are A LOT of those), and the plot wasn’t engaging so far. However, this is just my opinion, I’m pretty sure many people will find this very funny and engaging and a fun mindless read, it just wasn’t for me but I’m really particular with humor, and I also didn’t expect this going in, know that it is very different from the character depth of ATOGAI and that it has a different writing style, too, and should really be read as two standalones in the same world.

I received an e-arc through Netgalley but my opinions are my own.

DNF at 13%

I gave it about 50 pages but now I'm certain that I'm not gonna like this book, so DNF it is. The vibe of this book is silly. Very silly. So silly that Avra did not have one serious conversation (even though being in serious situations) and that there were sex jokes in almost every conversation. I don't like these kind of jokes (to me they often feel inappropriate), especially in a normal non-flirtatuous conversation.

The story could be great though, I don't know since I DNFed. If you like a very lighthearted and silly book about pirates, this book might be for you.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don’t really know what to say when it comes to this book. The writing was well done and the world building is really easy. It is a fantasy pirate novel. This book had me laughing constantly and at first glance the MMC Avra Hevalçi seems dumb as rocks but somehow he always seems to pull it together when the situation requests it of him and is really smart in those. That book has numerous sexual innuendos and it made me question constantly why I was reading this book, because those sexual innuendos seemed ridiculous at times and had me constantly saying WTF out loud. I highly recommend this book to anyone that needs something different from the norm and a book that makes them lough constantly!

Told from the perspective of Avra, an intelligence officer turned pirate, _Running Close to the Wind_ is a fantasical romance just over 400 pages, and a relatively quick read.
This book is really heavy on the romance. It was mentioned every 15 pages or so. While I usually like romance, I felt like in this case it was quite explicitly sexual and did not add a lot to the story, except make Avra a bit annoying to read about. Less focus on this would also have allowed the characters to be more developed, which I would have enjoyed reading as the bits of Julian's and Teveri's backstories that we did get were quite interesting and helped me understand their motivations better.
However, I liked the concept of this story as a whole. I would recommend this to someone looking for a lighthearted, funny pirate romantasy that has a happy ending and isn't dark and gritty.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC!

When I picked up this book, I expected the same melancholy, slow and sweeping romance from A Touch of Gold and Iron. I adored that book and was excited to read about a gorgeously tortured pirate. However, Running Close to the Wind is incredibly different from the author's previous book, which I wouldn't have minded, except for me it didn't work. I didn't find it funny, and it feels like it was written purposefully with a comical tilt, especially the main characters, who I didn't enjoy reading about.

I'm disappointed this book didn't work out for me but I'll still be keeping an eye out for any more of the author's work.

Well this was an utter delight!
I was thoroughly charmed and amused by one of the main characters in particular whose antics and metaphorical observations were refreshing and endearing. Gloriously dramatic and decadent this really did transport and hold me captive throughout. I adored every character and their interactions with each other. The tenderness and rawness shown was both beautiful and gut wrenching. Highly witty and addicting I could of happily carried on following this excellent crew!
Thanks to Pan McMillan and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy all thoughts are left voluntarily.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review. It is set to be published in June 2024.

"Running Close to the Wind" by Alexandra Rowland was not for me, and this rather surprised me because I like queer stories, I love pirates, and I absolutely adore queer pirates.
The premise of the book is awesome: a queer pirate crew swashbuckling under the command of a non-binary pirate captain, with a queer romance or two thrown in for good measure? Sign me up immediately!
Unfortunately, there's precious little swashbuckling happening in these pages--the book reads more like a stand-up comedy act than like a real novel. And *all* the jokes are about sex, which I wouldn't have a problem with, except that when you spend 400 pages making jokes about one single topic - any one topic, really - it gets old fast. Even the funniest joke cannot survive being relentlessly recycled over 400 pages.
The biggest letdown for me was that this book had been advertised as "Our Flag Means Death meets Six of Crows". Now, I haven't read "Six of Crows", but I have watched "Our Flag Means Death", and let me tell you, "Running Close to the Wind" has *nothing* in common with it, except for one copy-pasted catchphrase ("and maybe we can TALK IT THROUGH AS A CREW" on page 14). The humour in OFMD is never mean-spirited, like it is in this book, and all the characters in OFMD are well-rounded and unforgettable, while the characters in "Running Close to the Wind" are nothing more than caricatures. Also, OFMD has a plot, adventures, world-building... all things that are sadly missing in "Running Close to the Wind".

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was interested in the premise of this book because gay pirates! Can't go wrong with gay pirates. This was an amusingly written book and my first foray into Alexandra Rowlands' writing. I am very appreciative of the fact that the captain was non-binary because I am non-binary myself. It's nice to be recognised and to to have some much-needed representation.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and definitely got Our Flag Means Death vibes from it which I really really liked. I did feel that in some aspects the writing and pacing let me down a little bit, especially near the beginning when I was trying to get into it. Still, would read more from this if it were to become a series and also from the author

It breaks my heart to say that I will mark this as a DNF. I loved Rowland's previous novel, and I was so excited to get my hands on this e-arc.

This sequel vastly differed from the first book, especially regarding the writing style. While this story attempts humour, it falls flat. The banter feels completely off and didn't elicit any laughs from me. While I don't usually mind cursing in a story, in this case, it just felt wrong.

It felt like I was reading one of those m/m romances you can find on a certain e-reader, but without the spice and lacking progress in the romance/action department. The main character, Avra, wasn't even likeable; instead, he was incredibly annoying. How can he be 35 and have such an infantile personality?

And please, let's not compare this story with 'Our Flag Means Death.' Marketers, find another pitch!

Running Close to the Wind delivers queer pirates and mayhem in a hilariously funny, incredibly unhinged, and supremely horny way, set in the same queer-normative world as A Taste of Gold and Iron.

The book is full of adventure, hijinks, the most chaotic characters, a smidge of romance, and it's so funny I nearly strained something laughing.

We follow Avra, a self-professed silly little slut and former Arasti spy, after he steals something very valuable from the Shipbuilder's Guild (remember the break-in in A Taste of Gold and Iron?) and goes running to his on again/off again beau pirate captain Teveri to share his ill-gotten gains. Teveri and the rest of the crew of The Running Sun, including newly added crew member Julian The Hot Monk, have to decide if it's worth putting up with Avra and his antics to possibly make the biggest bounty of their lives.
Throw in sea serpents, a pirate island, colourful side characters, Avra's weird mouth-noises, anti-capitalist sentiments, an impossibly hot monk with a mysterious background who both Tev and Avra lust after, and you got yourself one of the funniest books I've read.

Running Close to the Wind's also given me a new favourite chaos gremlin in Avra. He's a suspiciously lucky, somewhat pathetic disaster of a human who's constantly horny and annoys everyone around him. I fell madly in love with him almost immediately!

Because the book's so nonstop funny it left me wanting more moments of seriousness and depth in order to truly connect with the characters. It sometimes felt like the book didn't know what it wanted to be and the ending left me kind of frustrated. That could partially be related to expecting a different book going in? It's not a romance, it's more of a cozy fantasy pirate adventure with great characters. We drop into Avra's life for a few weeks of chaotic fun and then leave him, Tev, and Julian right when things heat up between them which was a bit of a bummer. And for a book this horny, there's surprisingly, and unfortunately, no sex scenes.

There's lots still left to explore and so much more I want from this story - I could easily imagine a trilogy in this universe and I'd eat it right up!