Review: Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
Blurb:
Avra Helvaçi, former field agent of the Arasti Ministry of Intelligence, has accidentally stolen the single 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 with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Haffar. They are far from happy to see him, but together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls, fence it, profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Arasti ambassador to 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 importantly, they'll be legends.
Review:
I don't even know where to start with this book. Which seems to be a theme among other reviewers.
If you're like me and loved A Taste of Gold and Iron, and were so excited about a new Alexandra Rowland novel you could jump out of your skin, the announcement of this book probably sent you a little feral. Now, if you loved A Taste of Gold and Iron, you also need to know that this book is in a completely different category. While still set in the same universe and world, this book is pure unhinged comedy centring on a 34-35 year old field agent, Avra, with the behaviour of Pinocchio from Shrek and that tweet about squaring up to a larger man then saying 'I'm just a little birthday boy.'
The pirate Captain Teveri az-Haffar is a sassy, sarcastic and utterly determined character that is the focus of Avra's insane affections. Together the pair, and everyone else who sees him, fawn over Julian. Meanwhile Julian is....mysterious and a walking tease that leaves Avra making 'squee' noises throughout.
There is absolutely no part of this book you should take seriously. If you find yourself rolling your eyes at Avra, his ridiculous attempts at seducing Teveri, or Tev, and desperately trying to seduce Julian, you've got the right reaction. It is ridiculous. I mean, the man literally climbs a wardrobe and reacts like a cat going into a carrier when someone tries to get him down. There are repeated referrals to fighting alley possums that exploit Avra. It's just magically ridiculous.
So the story centres around Avra having stolen these secrets, he goes to Tev and has to work with them and their crew to decipher the secrets and sell to the highest bidder. Between this and his past as an agent, Avra ends up catching the attention of the new ambassador. It's the interactions between the two and a couple interactions with a few of the crew members that really leave wondering 'Is Avra really this childish, sexually desperate man-child with an overactive creative spirit or is it an act?' I'm still not totally sure myself.
Because it's set in the same universe (Chantiverse) as all of Alexandra's works to date, it adds more richness to the world we've come to love. In particular, Tev's coat and the poem, I just adored that. And please know if you start this book and wonder about this cake competition, the pay off on this is incredible. You can tell how much they had fun writing it, and honestly, that's something that shines throughout the book. It's just fun, ridiculous and genuinely perfect for anyone who loves queer pirates and is lamenting the cancellation of Our Flag Means Death.
