A kinswoman to Elizabeth I, Lettice Knollys spent two decades as a favorite of the monarch, but in September of 1578, Lettice made a fateful decision to marry without the Queen's consent. Worse, her new husband was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the Queen's favorite and long-time suitor. Permanently banished from court. Lettice had become Queen Elizabeth's enemy, but as the author of Crown of Blood explains, the Countess' story does not end there. Surviving two husbands and navigating the courts of three very different monarchs: Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Charles I, Lettice's story offers an extraordinary and intimate perspective on the world she lived in.

"An eminently readable portrait of a fascinating woman…. Tallis's meticulous research and understanding of the intricacies of Elizabethan court life allow Knollys to emerge from undeserved obscurity to take center stage as a fearless, strong-willed woman who shared many of the characteristics of her royal rival, and who paid dearly for daring to follow her heart."—Library Journal