An epic space opera adventure about a Vanguard (a “boosted” human with extra strength and size) who is stuck in prison on year 8 of his 20-year sentence. He is contacted by a former colleague and offered a way out if he’ll agree to work on an important job. This begins this action-packed military sci-fi caper. There is good world-building and narration. The MC has a complicated backstory that is revealed over the course of the novel. He’s also a stand-up guy, still carrying a torch for his lost love. This is volume one of a new series called Paragon Space. I look forward to listening to the next books.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BookOutureAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #VanguardStrike for review purposes. Publication date: 3 June 2025.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an advance listeners copy! I DEVOURED this book! Think Firefly - space, mercenaries, found family, people thrown together, and so much more.

Between the character development to the universe itself, this story is so well crafted I immediately wanted to read this authors entire bibliography only to find out this is his first novel. What a banger of a first novel. I was engrossed in this story from the start.

I don’t want to say more for fear it’ll spoil something. I will say that at first the narrator’s choice for some character voices felt annoying - a little too high pitched and raspy. However, by halfway through it grew on me. Overall I feel like the audiobook is well done 4/5. Book itself is a 5/5

The story is set in a future which has just come out of a war that our protagonist, Lax, was very instrumental in. A safe future for everyone else though isn’t on the cards for him. Considered one of the military’s best kept secrets, Lax is no ordinary soldier but a Vanguard. A bioengineered super soldier whose creation is as much a secret as the strong dislike people have to his kind. After the war Lax decides to get out of the military, and the public eye, and eventually finds himself on a salvage crew taking on jobs raiding lost and abandoned ships in space. A quiet life on the horizon seemed probable until one bad mission.

Vanguard Strike is one hell of an action-packed book. There were very few slow scenes so this book breezed by fairly quickly. The plot is fairly well written and quite entertaining. The audiobook narrator, Jeff Harding, does a very good job of making Lax seem like a really tough guy, and one not to be messed with. Vanguard Strike felt like what you would get if Jack Reacher was part of the Expanse universe. While there was a little disconnect with regards to the larger political climate in the book (this seemed like something that would be cleared up in the coming books), the characters are interesting in their own way which helps endear them to us, and the larger plot is intriguing enough to have me curious about how these characters go forward.

There are several issues that are tackled and addressed in this book, most notably around trauma and substance abuse. This should be kept in mind in case you are triggered by scenes around that. That being said, this book was quite fun and I’m looking forward to the next book in the Paragon Space series. If you want a super soldier Jack Reacher in a space-opera setting, maybe give this book a go.

I had already been fortunate enough to have read this book and really enjoyed it but who would turn down the opportunity to listen to Jeff Harding narrate ! Superb job

Vanguard Strike by Jerom Strong was such a good read! The plot features a heist—which I freaking love—and it’s sci-fi space opera at its finest. Fast-paced, action-packed, and full of heart, this book had me hooked from page one.

The main character? Absolutely lovable. I adored him! There were both heartwarming moments and nail-biting scenes that kept me turning the pages. The worldbuilding is smooth and easy to grasp, making this a perfect pick for someone new to sci-fi.

A fantastic blend of thrills and feels—I enjoyed this so much. I listened ti the ALC and it was excellent the narration really brought the characters to life!!! Do immersion reading if you can. Huge thanks to Second Sky Books and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.