blue skies

And we're back to celebrate another one of our Golden Ink Award Winners! 
This week, we're focusing on blue skies by @Archer Rose, which has won not one, but two categories: Best Slowburn Romance AND Favorite Lead Character 

This story follows Lavender Brown and is part of the Jasmine & Tea Leaves universe but can be read separately.
 

After the war in the Wizarding World, Lavender moves to Paris where she hopes to start over and leave the scars of not just the war behind but the scars of her own past. She has really struggled to cope with everything but she finds herself a new apartment and starts to reignite her passion for art. Art plays a huge role in this fic and Abbi weaves the details and the passion with such care that you feel like you're standing in The Lourve or in one of the art galleries Lavender visits. 

Lavender herself is an inspiring character who doesn't let the fear of starting over stop her. She slowly learns to accept who she is and that she can only move forward, and her friendship with Seamus Finnigan plays a large role in that - but it's not the only factor. She shows true grit in getting up every day despite struggling with PTSD and anxiety and she doesn't stop a once broken heart from letting in someone new. There's also fantastic bi rep with Lavender which Abbi handles as expertly as everything else in this story.

Lavender and Oliver's chemistry shines from the moment they're both introduced and there's an ease in which they treat each other. Their first date is adorable and their conversation flows naturally as they learn more about each other and want to explore the beginnings of a new relationship. You can practically feel the yearning between the two of them and you'll be counting down the scenes until they finally share their first kiss.

Some words from our reviewers:

"The romance is really slow to develop, but it's such a charming story. Lavender's character shines when she's not forced into a shallow mold one usually sees and pairing her with Oliver is also fresh."

"Lavender has gone through a lot not just in blue skies, but also in Abbi's jasmine & tea leaves series. In blue skies, she restarts her life in Paris and she's learning to cope with after the war and with her scars. She's such a strong, three dimensional character who Abbi writes with great care. Definitely a heroine you'd want to root for."

This is a fic that you won't want to miss - highly recommend checking it out!

Congratulations, Abbi, for your well deserved wins on this fantastic story