James and Leopold

Towards the end of the 19th century, this novel follows the burning love between Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria, and James Lee Stephens; a young brown-skinned commoner boy. The book explores the inseparable couple's coming of age stories starting in their college days.

Being an exceedingly intellectual individual, the prince unsurprisingly attended the renowned English college of Oxford University in 1874. Trying to lead an ordinary life, the prince's great downside was living with hemophilia; a disease where any injury to the body can cause excessive bleeding and fatal consequences. It's known the semesters at Oxford University were some of Leopold's most brilliant days, though history does not document the romantic, blossoming, and passionate love that he shared with his classmate, James Stephens.

James, a regular commoner of the United Kingdom, compared to Leopold has more freedom to live life and is not weighed down by the scrutiny of his mother nor the burden of disease. Having a privileged life, equally as intelligent as his classmates at Oxford, and a promising future, James still deals with the regular hardships of being colored in Victorian England.

When meeting one another, the pair have a seemingly impossible relationship not only because of class barriers, but race, and sexuality. Growing a deep admiration for one another over the years they come to know each other, their relationship must always remain unavowed to everyone. This warming, tenderhearted novel follows the 11 years the couple has to battle between longing for one another and hiding their affections.