Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

I enjoyed this book more than I should have. The plot never really goes anywhere, and neither the hero nor the heroine do anything that is particularly heroic. Yet it has the charm and wit of most Bujold novels, and it's not necessarily a bad thing to see events unfold from the POV of a few average, everday characters instead of the high powered adventurers and butt-kickers. The romance between Ivan and Tej is understated but sweet. Ivan is not much more than a nice, honorable man but to a woman like Tej who grew up with a family who is always scheming and plotting, he is just perfect. (For those romance readers, he reminded me of a Carla Kelly hero.)

I loved the early Miles Vorkosigan novels but couldn't make it through Cryoburn. Captain Vorpatrils' Alliance was a charming welcome back to the Vor fold.