These are definitely undergoing Vorkosification, which I am 1,000% okay with. And it's not that Penric is turning into Miles (although I have a feeling that, if Nikys and Ekaterine were ever in a room together, they would have a lot to commiserate about) or that Grover Gardner's voice has imprinted VORKOSIGAN into my brain. It's that the narrative is heading slowly down the "I had a very good plan when all this started..." route. Penric has a certain forward momentum to him that is reminiscent of Miles in some of his Naismith moods.
This delights me. It's everything I enjoy about Bujold's writing in a world that is still new enough that it unfolds for the reader (and, based on the evolution of the Bastard and his demons throughout this series, for the author) in a way that delights on the level of character and worldbuilding.
So, do I read the next one or wait for the audiobook?