http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Vorkosigan
It's a series, sometimes mis-labeled as military sci fi by Lois Bujold. There are some space battles and small unit actions, but they are really more about intrigue and such (perfect for gaming).
Space flight depends on wormholes, which are easy to guard; one ship comes through at at time. Which means, as a character pointed out, the best way to capture a wormhole is from both sides at once; agents, sabatoge, etc.
the first couple have a women as main character to I got my wife started with those, and the rest have some strong female characters so she's reading the rest. I started ahead of her and it's been fun visiting Miles again.
The first two about miles are free e-books from the Baen free library
http://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-...x?SectionFilterID=13