This was an amazing sci-fi romance. It had everything!!! We had spaceships and distant planets, strange and deadly native animals, and riders. I really want to have a rider - if I say pretty please will someone go find me one? This was a great addition to the story and allowed it to really blossom and go in so many great directions. A rider is a creature - sort of like a 2 dimensional mini-dragon - that lives on your skin. And they bond with you and talk to you and make you stronger and better. How awesome is that!

Tara is an independent trader. She doesn't work for one of the big families so she struggles to make ends meet and stay out of trouble. But it seems to find her. In this case, trouble comes in a really nice looking package named Trace. Now, he doesn't tell her the whole story when they first meet or she would have turned tail and ran in other direction. Instead they find themselves caught up in a search for Trace's sister that uncovers a much bigger plot that could have serious consequences for the universe overall.

Their journey was a very interesting one. Trace has a huge handicap that I don't want to say too much about because it's a pretty big deal. It almost ruins everything when Tara finds out the whole truth, but I forgave him for the lies and deceit because he really did have a good reason for them. Their romance was an odd one, with both taking a long time to truly trust each other.

The world building was amazing and the history of the characters was so developed that you couldn't help but just believe in them. I wish there was more to this story because I just don't want to let it go.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*