Tiger And Del Series

This series starts off with so much promise. Del, brave warrior-woman in the North has been training for five years to rescue her brother from slavers in the South and is in need of a Southron (no, that's not a typo) desert guide. Tiger, a sexist, womanizing, mercenary and best sword dancer of the South and former slave is the obvious choice. This odd pairing is part of the charm of this light sword and sorcery read. The two are often polar opposites, but when need is greatest come together as a perfect complement. Their romance is a slow burn growing organically out of their partnership. Del is fantastic. She is fierce, challenges every tradition that tries to force her away from her strength, and doggedly rises to every challenge that stands in her way. Robertson does a great job at conveying the desperation of the desert, and the almost solitary setting adds to the deeply personal feel of this quest. Being a child of the 80's, there are the typical eye-rolls involved; some questionable handling of race, and despite Tiger's growth as a character and bending to some degree on his attitudes toward women, it's still a pretty sexist book. Del never seems to accomplish anything all on her own merit, and it's undeniably more about Tiger than Del, being told through his perspective.  While Tiger does change some, book seven in the series is all about him rising to the challenge of his 25 year old son calling him, "domesticated" in his settled life.  So, it's not high on the list, but Del definitely deserves a mention!