Essex is England's rising star. But for one star to rise, another must fall.England, 1588. The Spanish Armada has been defeated and everyone in the country rejoices. All except Elizabeth I, who is consumed by a private grief. The Earl of Leicester is dead, and without him by her side, the ageing queen has never felt more alone.Enter Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Young, dazzling, and hungry for glory, he is everything Leicester once was, and Elizabeth cannot help but draw him close.But Robert has no interest in playing the lover to an old woman. He has his eye on the future, an England without Elizabeth, where a man once again wears the crown. He is willing to do whatever it takes to bring that future about, even if it means destroying the queen who made him.Elizabeth Tudor has outlived her enemies, survived assassination plots and held the throne alone for decades. She's not about to give it up without a fight.Robert cannot afford to lose this battle. For in the Tudor court, there are no prizes for coming second,only the headsman's axe.
