Running Close to the Wind
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland is a queer pirate fantasy standalone adventure published by Tor Publishing Group on June 17, 2025. This 448-page novel follows Avra Helvaçi, a former field agent who inadvertently steals a highly valuable secret, prompting him to escape to the open sea. In his quest to find a buyer, he seeks assistance from his ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār, leading to a series of events filled with intrigue and unexpected challenges.
Readers will encounter a vibrant narrative that includes cake competitions and a diverse cast of characters, including a calculating ambassador and a mysterious crew member with secrets. The story explores themes of adventure and romance as Avra and Teveri navigate the dangers of sea serpent breeding season while trying to secure their fortune. This edition provides an engaging blend of action, humor, and fantasy, appealing to fans of literature and fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
A queer pirate fantasy standalone adventure by Alexandra Rowland, the author of A Taste of Gold and Iron
“Come for the irrepressible gremlin of a narrator, stay for the plot-relevant cake competitions! A whip-smart, hilarious and exuberant high seas romp.”—Freya Marske, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Marvellous Light
A LitHub most anticipated book of 2024
Avra Helvaçi, former field agent of the Araşti 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-Ḥaffār. 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 Araşti 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 important, they’ll be legends.
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