Anne is the supreme opposite of the king’s first wife, Katherine, who dutifully washed her husband’s shirts, never complained about his lovers, and rarely expressed an opinion but concealed behind a mantle of piousness the pride of a Spaniard.

In contrast, Anne Boleyn possesses only two attributes that help her secure a crown – extraordinary perseverance and almost indecent ambition. Her other qualities – her nagging determination to have her own way, her cruelty and her dangerous lack of decorum – all spell disaster that no amount of sex appeal can avoid. The very steps she takes to save herself from her inability to supply the king with a male heir seal her fate. This is historical fiction wedded to historical reality at its best.

• Debut historical fiction from one of the greats of Tudor scholarship: ‘Lacey Baldwin Smith is one of our finest historians’ ALISON WEIR; 'Any new book by Lacey Baldwin Smith is an event' JOHN KENYON, THE OBSERVER.

• Pre-publication quote from DEBORAH HARKNESS, author of the No. 1 international bestseller Shadow of Night, 'Lacey is a master storyteller'. Will appear on the front cover.

• Anne Boleyn is the most popular historical character among Tudor fans (well ahead of Henry VIII) and has several major websites devoted to her life story.

• The Tudors have never been so popular – HILARY MANTEL'S novels about Cromwell and Anne Boleyn, for example. A 6-part BBC/US costume drama of WOLF HALL in production, screening in late 2014.

• Reviews national weeklies, national daily and Sunday newspapers, to include The Daiy Mail and The Sunday Times.

• Reviews in womens weekly and monthly magazines, to include Vogue, Red and The Lady, Glamour and Woman’s Own.