Review of Trade Secret by Sharon Lee & Stephen Miller

Trade Secret (Liaden Universe)by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller 4*
BLURB: The Liaden Universe ® Saga Continues! Star-spanning galactic trader Jethri Gobelyn adventures are the focus in book 17 by master storytellers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
Star-spanning galactic trader Jethri Gobelyn’s story continues in the seventeenth entry in the Liaden Universe® series by master storytellers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
In a universe full of interstellar intrigue and burgeoning commerce novice Terran trader Jethri Gobelyn, adopted by a Liaden clan after an ill-directed bow of honor insulted the scion of a major Liaden house, is alive and whole to tell the tale. Convinced that the adoption has saved his life and made his future he settles into a comfortable and even elite routine, a Trader's Ring his goal.
Even as Jethri's initiation into the mysteries and joys of Liaden Festival bring him to manhood he's forced to face Necessity and the facts of life: his adoption has also invigorated a net of unfinished Balance far more complex and potentially deadly than a simple Terran blood feud. He must embrace his Terran birthright as well as his Liaden connections while leaving behind the safety of the great Liaden trade ship Elthoria to defend his honor and that of shipmates past and present. Forced to sit Second Board as a back-up pilot on a Liaden Scout ship, Jethri's convinced he's already at wit's end—when several familiar faces threaten all that he knows of himself, and all that he wishes to do.
My Review: Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley. I haven't read that many Liaden Universe books but this one was pretty good - it does actually help if you have read Balance Of Trade first though. I found this to be an enjoyable read but I think for someone new to the universe it would have been quite confusing with a lot of the customs unexplained in detail (most of which you get to understand from the previous book). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone just starting out on the books but I do recommend the books as a whole - the Liaden Universe is wonderful!

Having trouble with my ereader :(

But I have been able to read a couple of books for reviewing :D

Review of Borderline by Robert Appleton 4*
BLURB: Alone. Double-crossed. Pursued across thousands of miles of alien desert on his beloved hoverbike, Finnegan is holding onto two things dearer than life itself: the priceless biotech prize he’s stolen, and the opportunity for revenge against the treacherous employer who left him for dead. He’s never met her, but he knows all about her family, the most ruthless criminal syndicate of the inner colonies.
But when he finds a beautiful stranded woman badly wounded in the middle of nowhere, claiming to be Lori Malesseur, his employer, he has to make a choice. Either take her across the border and accept her offer of a huge reward, or leave her for dead. She claims she was on her way to warn him when she was ambushed and shot. But can she really be who she says she is?
Trusting one’s enemy is not something either of them knows how to do, but when the stakes are this high, going it alone might not be an option. The race for survival is on in this high-octane action adventure that puts the pedal to the metal and doesn’t look back.
My Review: I rather enjoyed this one, even though it was a bit on the short side. I haven't read any of the previous books set in this universe but it turned out I didn't need to as it stood up very well on it's own. The characters were interesting and the action was just right. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and just wish it had been a little longer and followed the main two characters after they learned to trust each other.

Fledgling (Theo Waitley, #1) (Liaden Universe #12)by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller 5*
BLURB: Theo Waitley has lived all her young life on Delgado, a Safe World that is home to one of the galaxy's premier institutions of higher learning. Both Theo's mother, Kamele, and Kamele's onagrata Jen Sar Kiladi, are professors at the university, and they all live comfortably together, just like they have for all of Theo's life, in Jen Sar's house at the outskirts of town. Suddenly, though, Theo's life changes. Kamele leaves Jen Sar and moves herself and Theo back into faculty housing, which is not what Theo is used to. Once settled back inside the Wall, Kamele becomes embroiled in faculty politics, and is appointed sub-chair of her department. Meanwhile, Theo, who has a notation in her file indicating that she is "physically challenged" has a series of misadventures, including pulling her best friend down on the belt-ride to class, and hurting a team mate during a scavage game.
With notes piling up in her file, Theo only wants to go "home," to the house in the suburbs, and have everything just like it used to be.
Then, Kamele uncovers evidence of possible dishonest scholarship inside of her department. In order to clear the department, she and a team of senior professors must go off-world to perform a forensic document search. Theo hopes this will mean that she'll be left in the care of the man she calls "Father," Professor Kiladi, and is horrified to learn that Kamele means to bring Theo with her
My Review: I loved Theo, her parents and the cats, not forgetting all the other fascinating characters in this tale of a girl's coming of age. The contrast between the home place of Theo (rigidly matriarchal and scholastic) and the freedom Theo encounters on the ship are a major part of what made the story so interesting for me. I look forward to the continuation of this story in Salutations as soon as possible.

If I can manage to borrow my husband's ereader I might be able to read a few more books - if not there will be a hiatus on my reviews. :(