What was your opinion on the relationship between Lily and James? Is it romantic? Or is it inappropriate and forced?

[Asiaa Szn]

The story didn't clarify James true feelings hence my suspicion of him likely to betrayal Lily even though their attraction seems beautiful.

[Rizki Pradana]

I think the relationship between James and Lily was romantic because they have been together since they were children, so they might have an interest in each other.

[Joy C]

While I also appreciate the romance introduced between James and Lily, I feel it could go either way. James's position as her master might make it difficult for him to display emotions to the fullest which explains his seeming insincerity. In any case, I still think the writer did a good job with that.

[Kira Bonita Reece]

While James and Lily's is romantic, in the back of my mind I kept wondering if James will betray her. After all, there is an imbalance in the relationship and when things get hard loyalty tends to go out the window.

[PeterRabitt20]

While it is written as a romantic relationship, Lily is a slave and a subordinate. To me, it doesn't feel fair, because there is no freedom of choice and most importantly voice. I don't see how that relationship can be sincere if one party is so unequal to the other.

[Danielle Briggs]

I also was not completely a fan of how their relationship was executed. I felt that James still had a sense of "ownership" over Lily and used that to his advantage, especially when he was highly emotional. I also do not think that Lily can overcome how badly James treated her for years so quickly.

[Marija Savic]

I don’t think James and Lily’s love is forced because they’ve been in love with each other since childhood. James leaves space for doubt, but I believe that his behavior is conditioned by the social circumstances in which they are.

[Charlize Venter]

What separates friendship from romantic love: sexual attraction.
James and Lily exhibited a beautiful friendship during childhood, there was a true connection and authentic affection between them. One can see that in the way James endured the tortures of his elder brother for the sake of saving his dearest friend from being whipped. One can also see it from Lily's side, she confides in him about her mother and Auntie, as he does in her during the death of his own mother, they play together without any unsavory situations occurring between them. They were best friends in childhood, finding true consolation and safety in the presence of the other. That connection and bond was formed at an early age and fostered until the discovery of their friendship, circumstances had forced them apart and stained their relationship, but look at how it’s going.

Hence, I cannot say it was forced, it must have been fate.

[Amenrodion]

I find the power dynamic really unbalanced and so that makes the relationship a bit suspect to it. I think the relationship is not forced but it might be inappropriate

[Oyedele Tomijane]

I believe Lena wore black as a symbol of her grief after losing the twins, not knowing if her second son was dead or alive, and being estranged from her first. The horrible secret surrounding her husband's death, as well as her belief that her weakness and refusal to leave her dead husband were the reasons her boys turned out the way they did, were all reasons for her wearing black. I believe her white flat was because she was empty on the inside. I believe it was because she was hollow, and her life was devoid of colour. It was as if she was waiting for death to claim her.

[Aly Smith]

I thought the book was well written, but realistically it was forced. Given James status and Lily's status, the power status made the relationship inappropriate and hard to imagine real love. Even knowing each other throughout their lives, there is too much of a gap in their status to really imagine this working out.

[Peace Chux]

The thought of a misfortune waiting to happen blindsided me to their romance. I feel that it's only a matter of time before James betrays Lily. Moreover, even if his feelings were sincere, the odds are against them.

[QualityAndQuantity]

Although both of them were attracted to each other from a young age, James gave of the vibe of betrayal to me. He can be easily persuaded to leave Lily for another woman.

[Mariam K 7]

As I read, in the history I have not felt that the relationship between James and Lily is by force. They knew each other when they were still children, so I rule out any kind of force. Romance between them? It is quite an interesting and controversial question, because it is really possible to talk about chemistry between them, but the question arises when it comes to James's rank and Lily's skin color, because the social and political situation at that time could have clouded James's mind ...

[NancyDrew12]

I liked their relationship. And I understand that his father made him be rude to Lily. But that still rubs me the wrong way and makes me question if he will return to those ways.