Vanguard

Freedom #2

by Gun Brooke

Beth Wild was born as a Subterranean and after almost dying in a fire set by raiders from the skyscrapers, she joins the resistance movement. Now fleeing the Celestial authorities with her team of freedom fighters, Beth is strapped into a SkyBird escape vessel and hurtles to the ground. There, she finds the dissident leader’s SkyBird has also crashed, and LaSierra Delmonte is injured and concussed.

LaSierra is confused. With Beth’s assistance, she struggles to find her bearings and, against her better judgment, grows fond of Beth. But resuming her duties means breaking both their hearts.

Beth loathes the role LaSierra must play. It’s impossible for her to reconcile her ideals and values with the sacrifices LaSierra is asking for. Thrown headlong into the battle for freedom for dissidents and Subterraneans alike, LaSierra may have to risk everything by acknowledging that there are less lethal ways to accomplish what must be done—and if so, will Beth ever understand that there are times when leaders must make the hard decisions for the greater good? Will they be able to bring peace long enough for them to dare to love?

Genres: Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Gun Brooke resides in the countryside in Sweden with her very patient family. A retired neonatal intensive care nurse, she now writes full time, only rarely taking a break to create web sites for herself or others and to do computer graphics. Gun writes both romances and sci-fi. She is the recipient of the 2009 Alice B. Medal for "body of work."

Reviews

[Rosi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second installment of the series that started with "Skyscraper," which is about a dystopian society where people are divided between those who live in immensely tall buildings and those who live underground. This physical distance also translates into an economic and social one, with those who live above subjugating those who live below, to the point of enslaving them. This isn't as clear in the first novel, but in this second one, you can already see this abuse.

In the first book, a fraction of the people living above decided to join a faction of rebels from the lower zone. Together, they planned to overthrow the territory's abusive rulers. In this second part, the group tries to establish positions from which to organize this revolt. At the same time, they must discover what lies outside the buildings and basements that were their only known spaces. This leads to numerous adventures and a few surprises.

As a creator of dystopian worlds, this author has several series, some better than others. I personally find them quite entertaining, and I read her books whenever I get the chance.


Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to send me a copy via Netgalley for an honest review

[Henriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous sequel to Scyscraper
The first book in this dystopian series about freedom fighters left me breathless. I expected a quieter sequel before a big finale in book three. But I was dead-wrong. Vanguard was as thrilling and packed with action (and a f/f) romance as book one. Again the world-building is exciting and so well done.
Book one brought the fighters beneath the skyscraper who get by with little in their tunnels to the elite living luxuriously above ground. Now, both the tunnel-bred underdogs and the sky-bred elite explore side by side a life outside their known habitats in the middle of nowhere. During their escape fighter Beth rescues the resistance leader, LaSierra Delmonte.
Not only is the writing fabulous and kept me on my toes but there are lots of thought-provoking scenes: The burden of leading, the risks for fighters during a war, the indomitable spirit and search for freedom even under the most dire circumstances. Can‘t wait for book 3. Kudos!

I received an ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

[AJ Sneed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling, action-packed sequel that picks up right where Skyscraper left off. This time the spotlight is on Beth and resistance leader LaSierra, whose intertwined histories shape both the rebellion’s future and their own developing romance. The story moves at a relentless pace—full of daring escapes, high-stakes battles, and unexpected alliances with subterraneans, dissidents, and camp escapees. The world-building is vivid, the writing sharp, and the themes—leadership, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom—add depth to the adrenaline. An intense blend of dystopian intrigue and f/f romance that kept me hooked to the last page.

[Red Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes up from where Skyscraper ended - at the crash site but this time the focus is on Beth and LeSierra and how their roles and history impacts on their developing relationship as the freedom fighters look to establish themselves and then help and rescue the subterraneans and the dissidents still in the skyscrapers. They also find escapees from the camps which reveals another layer of deceit by the Celestial authorities!!
An action packed sequel that kept me turning the pages.
NB you should read Skyscraper first to get the full effect of book 2

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke has built an amazing world for this story, and while it is a sequel to a previous novel, it can also be read as a stand-alone. The overarching themes are relatable and relevant to today’s world, even in this dystopian land that Brooke has created, and the characters are all equally well developed and relatable. With a great blend of adventure, drama, and romance, this is a book that I wanted to dedicate an entire day to reading.

I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley.

[Rainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow I haven't read the first book in this series and I will definitely be going back to see what other greatness I missed. I felt as if I was dropped into this world and completely encompassed! This was an amazing read!

[Lana]

Another perfect book by Gun Brooke.