cahn

That's a very good point, and one I should have thought about more-- that I am probably being at least somewhat unnecessarily harsh because of the whole I've-only-read-half-the-book (or a quarter, I guess-- isn't it two duologies?) thing, and that more relationship development may be coming later. Indeed, it's possible I may have played right into Bujold's hands and that the entire next book will be an examination on what comes after infatuation.

On the other hand, my view is also somewhat affected by Diplomatic Immunity, which is kind of this "okay, now we're married and now we will have no internal issues, only external ones" sort of thing. On the third hand (foot?), Barrayar is the sort of insightful look of marriage (Aral/Cordelia, Kou/Drou) that comes as a natural sort of sequel to Shards of Honor.