Reviews

After more than a dozen Vorkosigan books, finally, we get Ivan's story, leading up to Ivan's happily-ever-after. Ivan is Miles's handsome, "normal" cousin who has worked hard to keep a low profile and avoid all the stress and hassle that people like Miles find for themselves. Ivan is asked to keep his eye on a particular young woman, Tej, who may be in trouble. She's lovely and has a beautiful sister with blue skin who's in hiding with her. Soon they're both facing serious problems, and the best way that occurs to Ivan to keep Tej and her sister out of trouble is to marry her (with the mutual intention of divorcing as soon as it's reasonable to do so). So now Ivan has a wife, and they're very much in love (though still with the intention of divorcing), and the reader has the great pleasure of getting to see more of their lives and Ivan's home planet, which have generally been rushed past in the Miles books. Then, almost exactly at the midpoint of the book, Ivan abruptly finds his life in chaos when about a dozen people from Tej's past life catch up with them. Most of the rest of the book is as pell-mell as anything that's ever happened to Miles, but now it's Ivan's turn. So much fun!

themanfromdelmonte's review

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5.0

I think LMB must be getting a bit bored with Miles by now so Ivan makes a welcome change. It’s another terrific romance, much like A Civil Campaign but with more action. When the author is in her zone the words just fly by. A pleasure to read and re-read. In fact I’m going to dig it out and read it again now.

elllljayyyy's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kitsuneheart's review against another edition

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5.0

Oh, this was so intensely satisfying! After so many books seeing Ivan getting lucky with the ladies and then getting so unlucky with getting a wife, I was pleased to realize his "alliance" was of a domestic kind. In order to protect a woman from police interrogation and possible kidnapping, Ivan offers her diplomatic immunity in the most direct manner: as the wife of a Vor. The pair proceed to try to solve the mystery of her pursuit, and of their own feelings, as they take steps towards their pre-arranged divorce.

Of course, Barryar has other plans. Or, more accurately, Ivan's MOTHER has other plans. And Alyss gets what Alyss wants.

After being generally dissatisfied with Cryoburn, this book brings us back to the hilarity and chaos Bujold produced in the fantastic "Diplomatic Immunity." I will say that it takes a bit to get into the story, but about the time you hit the false marriage, you'll be hooked.

f18's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

vorsoisson's review against another edition

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4.0

Thankfully, no major characters were children, which gives this major points over Cryoburn. Still, this return to the Vorkosigan saga in no way compares to the tightly woven plotlines and witty dialogue of Komarr or A Civil Campaign. Bujold runs into plotting difficulties similar to those found in her Sharing Knife series: the most interesting and critical plot points fall into the first quarter of the novel, and what follows is only epilogue, reasonably entertaining, but not convincingly crucial to the characters' lives or terribly surprising to the reader.

mebius's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I love stories in Vorkosigan universe with main focus on side characters. And first part of this book on Komarr it was fantastic. Funny, with action and with introduction Tej and Rish characters. But Barrayar part was somewhat lacking, especially after

Tej family arriving

. And when Tej became driver. And with annoying trope of two people who clearly have feelings for each other but suddenly forgot how to talk with each other, because reasons.

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