goodreads quote: Elizabeth and Essex - upon the outcome of their tempestuous love affair hung the fate of England and her empire. Haughty, iron-willed Elizabeth, the so-called Virgin Queen, bestowed her most intimate favors on her beloved Essex. But the daring soldier-courtier sought the greatest prize of all - the throne of England. To get it at any cost, Essex gambled his love and his life. Faced with his lust for power, Elizabeth had to choose between her love for Essex and her crown.