A new side of Black History, the royal side! Follow the lives of 26 little-known amazing aristocrats and etiquette trailblazers in Black History. Discover how their fortunes were made and lost during the height of black nobility and during the lows of black oppression.

In this outstanding cultural biography, the author of the New York Times bestseller A Slave in the White House chronicles a critical yet overlooked chapter in American history: the inspiring rise and calculated fall of the black elite, from Emancipation through Reconstruction to the Jim Crow Era—embodied in the experiences of an influential figure of the time, academic, entrepreneur, and political activist and black history pioneer Daniel Murray. In the wake of the Civil War, Daniel Murray, born free and educated in Baltimore, was in the vanguard of Washington, D.C.’s black upper class. Appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress—at a time when government appointments were the most prestigious positions available for blacks—Murray became wealthy through his business as a construction contractor and married a college-educated socialite. The Murrays’ social circles included some of the first African-American U.S. Senators and Congressmen, and their children went to the best colleges—Harvard and Cornell. Though Murray and other black elite of his time were primed to assimilate into the cultural fabric as Americans first and people of color second, their prospects were crushed by Jim Crow segregation and the capitulation to white supremacist groups by the government, which turned a blind eye to their unlawful—often murderous—acts. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor traces the rise, fall, and disillusionment of upper-class African Americans, revealing that they were a representation not of hypothetical achievement but what could be realized by African Americans through education and equal opportunities. As she makes clear, these well-educated and wealthy elite were living proof that African Americans did not lack ability to fully participate in the social contract as white supremacists claimed, making their subsequent fall when Reconstruction was prematurely abandoned all the more tragic. Illuminating and powerful, her magnificent work brings to life a dark chapter of American history that too many Americans have yet to recognize.

Love is impossible. Hate is an open game.KimberlyHe was once my best friend, now he's my worst enemy.Xander Knight is heartbreakingly beautiful.Ridiculously popular.Brutally cruel.He's a knight but won't do any saving.XanderWe started as a dream, now we're a nightmare.Kimberly Reed is pathetically fake.Terribly innocent.Secretly black.She can hide but never from me.Black Knight is part of Royal Elite Series but could be read on its own. For better understanding of the world, you might want to read the previous books first. This is a high school bully romance, mature new adult, and contains visceral mental health situations that some readers can find triggering.

The villain isn't supposed to be king.I have a simple plan.Finish Royal Elite School and get into my dream university.One glance from the school's king blows my plan up in smoke.One glance and he suffocates my air.One glance and he issues his death sentence.His first words spiral my life into irreparable chaos."I will destroy you."Everything about Aiden King is black.Black mind.Black heart.Black soul.I should've remained quiet and endured the time I have left.I didn't.I made the irrevocable mistake of provoking the king on his throne.The devil in his hell.And now, I'll pay the price.Being hated by Aiden King is dangerous.But being wanted by him is lethal.Deviant King is book one of Royal Elite Series. This is a dark high school bully romance, mature new adult, and contains dubious situations that some readers might find offensive. Aiden isn't the normal romance hero. In fact, he's not a hero at ALL. So please don't read this if any of that bothers you.This book is part of a trilogy and is NOT standalone. The entire trilogy is available.

The kingdom isn't supposed to fall.The truth screws you over before it sets you free.Masks drop.Secrets unravel.Elsa's race after the past blinds her from the present.I'll fight for her. I'll bring her back.I'll protect her even if it's the last thing I do. We made a promise.She's mine.Are you ready for one final game, sweetheart?Twisted Kingdom is book three of Royal Elite Series and should be read after Deviant King & Steel Princess. This is a dark high school bully romance, mature new adult, and contains dubious situations that some readers might find offensive.This book is the final part of a trilogy and is NOT standalone.

She's off limits. He has none.There's a girl.Beautiful. Popular. Fake.And my obsession.My fall.Probably my damnation.Did that stop me? Do I care? No and no.There's a line between right and wrong. Moral and immoral.And then there's her.I cross every limit with blood-coated fingers.She says she hates me.I say I hate her too as I trap her, own her.Make her all mine.Ruthless Empire is part of Royal Elite Series but could be read on its own. For better understanding of the world, you might want to read the previous books first. This is a mature new adult and contains situations that some readers might find offensive.

He's prince charming. Just not hers.I have a secret.I stole a heart, or rather a marriage contract.It wasn't mine to own, to look at or to even consider.But it was there for the taking so I took it.Huge mistake.Ronan Astor is a nobility in this world.Arrogant player.Heartless bastard.Vicious prince.Now, he's out to destroy me.What he doesn't know is that I'm out to destroy him too.My name is Teal Van Doren, and I'm where princes go to die.Vicious Prince is part of Royal Elite Series but could be read on its own. For a better understanding of the world, you might want to read the previous books first. This is a mature new adult and contains situations that some readers might find offensive or triggering.