In Bed with Anne Boleyn by Lacey Baldwin-Smith

This is the story of the beautiful and enigmatic Anne Boleyn viewed through the eyes of two men who knew her intimately: Mark Smeaton, the king's favorite musician and exquisite songster, and Thomas Cromwell, the king's chief minister and fixer. These three members of Henry's court are caught up in an era of appalling religious bigotry and suppressed passions. Henry's subjects are expected to 'Love, obey and honor their prince not only outwardly in their bodies but also inwardly in their hearts'.Queen Anne is tempted into a form of treason and open adultery in an effort to save herself and her dynasty; Smeaton is faced with the ghastly punishment of painful mutilation and human degradation; and Cromwell tries his best to introduce a note of rationality and mercy. This is a brutal tale of rivalry, sex and jealousy set against the sumptuous sheets of the king s bedchamber, where dynasties were made and lives destroyed."