Uhura's Song is one of my all-time favorites. It's a great exploration/first contact story, a rousing adventure, and a treat for any cat-lover.
So, this book really is the cat's meow...?

I vaguely recalled the connection being small, but it was a small factor alongside the high ratings that helped me talk myself into it...cats helped, too.As I recall, its strongest tie to the rest of the '80s continuity is that it brings back a supporting character introduced in The Entropy Effect, a felinoid security officer nicknamed Snarl.
Nice, those are all good books (though I don't think the author of Shadow Lord had read much - if any - 'Trek). Final Reflection & Federation are the best trek books ever for me.
I read Judith and Garfield Reeve-Steven's Prime Directive, and the first book of a series called The Chronicles of Galen Sword, both were very enjoyable (particularly Prime Directive) and their prose is very agreeable and goes down well for my brain.