This is not the first Star Wars or even X-Wing story that has the Republic compete against the Empire to curry favour with a third party. However, this time round there is far more going on besides the straight up 'competition'. The 'big reveal' is kind of spoiled in the blurb at the back of the book, which is a shame. Being the ninth X-Wing book, the blurb really didn't need too much 'intrigue' to get fans of the series to read it.
This had a nice progression of Wedge's character, particularly as he works things out in his personal life (specifically by having a personal life and being more than just a pilot).
I also enjoyed the focus of the story which dealt with vastly differing cultures clashing leaving the New Republic representatives having to make a choice between adhering to their own sensibilities or revoking them to gain more favour than the Empire's representatives.
I was greatly impressed that the nine books in and the series hasn't gotten stale. The action is exciting, the characters are well-developed and the story isn't always that predictable.