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I listened to the Blackstone Audio app. The narration is decent, but not outstanding. A pleasant male voice, probably a baritone. Given the 3rd-person POV was mainly the heroine's, a female voice would have served better, IMO.

3.5 stars for this space opera / romance, written under the guise of sci-fi, even though there is very little scientific innovation beyond the odd species in the opening chapters -- big bloodsucking balloon-like creatures, and some novel carnivores and herbivores. Of course, the series includes space ships, jumping through wormholes, and fierce battleship weapons.

At its core, this is a "clean" romance (despite a filthy sexual offender) amidst a backdrop of interplanetary war. The heroine is taken captive and -- under dangerous circumstances -- falls in love with her noble captor. The feeling is fully reciprocated. The two must face various problems (some quite intense and creepy) and are separated several times across the book. For fairly long stretches, they are apart.

I was impatient during these separations, especially since the interplanetary espionage and warfare was not interesting to me. Also, Bujold did not provide any sufficiently developed and sympathetic secondary characters to follow when the leads were apart. (There are sympathetic secondary characters -- especially that one poor bastard -- but they mainly serve as props, used to help characterize the two protagonists as compassionate, loyal, and strong.)

I liked the heroine, Captain Cordelia Naismith. Not a whiner, she makes tough decisions, never taking the easy route if it will cause an innocent to suffer. Commander Vorkosigan falls for her quickly, as we eventually learn:

Later, lying warm in the darkness in Vorkosigan's room in the Count's townhouse, Cordelia remembered a curiosity. "What did you tell the emperor about me?"

He stirred beside her, tenderly pulling the sheet over her bare shoulder... "Hmm? Oh. He wanted to know what I saw in you. I told him," he paused a bit and continued almost shyly, "that you poured out honor all around you, like a fountain." (Hence the title.)

Cordelia is admirable, but I did not like the fact that she only returned to Vorkosigan when life on her planet became untenable. I felt she kept him hanging too long. He deserved better. (However, she makes up for it.)

I really liked the hero, Lord Aral Vorkosigan, starship commander and sometimes Admiral of noble birth. Unfairly dubbed "The Butcher of Kommar," he is honorable yet flawed, both needy and protective. He also keeps a few secrets. Expect to be surprised.

This is the first of a long and popular series. According to reviews, the author improves her craft with subsequent books. I will read another. (I did. The series does improve. See update below.)

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About the series: The Vorkosigan Saga is space opera with some romantic bits here and there. As science fiction it's not outstanding, but interesting enough. In terms of innovations, the series mainly hinges on advanced biomedical technology, including cloning and other types of genetic engineering (no longer fiction).

Bujold does a nice job with characterization and plot development. Her pacing is good, too. I grew to love young Miles Vorkosigan (Cordelia and Aral's son), who first appears as a young man in The Warrior's Apprentice, and as a young boy at the end of Barrayar.

The series contrasts the militaristic, intolerant, feudal planet of Barrayar against the enlightened and generally progressive planet of Beta Colony. This cultural dichotomy is fairly suspect, but interesting. It serves a purpose.

Reading tip and a little history: Many last names sound the same. On planet Barrayar, noble sir-names begin with Vor, as with Vorkosigan, Vorbarra, Vorpatril, etc. "Vor-" is a prefix that means "warrior-lord" or something similar. This naming system began about 600 years ago, after Barrayar's wormhole to Mother Earth collapsed and the Period of Isolation began, transforming (and regressing) advanced Barrayar into a feudal system of government. Barrayarans are descendants of Russian, English, French, and Greek colonists.

Some photos that describe the entire series:

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My reviews of this series (*favorites):

Shards of Honor review
*Barrayar review
*The Warrior's Apprentice review
The Vor Game review
Cetaganda review
The Mountains of Mourning review
Labyrinth review
*Borders of Infinity review
Brothers in Arms review
Mirror Dance review
*Memory review
*Miles in Love: Komarr, A Civil Campaign, Winterfair Gifts review
*Komarr review
Diplomatic Immunity review
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance review
Cryoburn review