Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Priceless

Rate this book
Headstrong and adventurous, Bronwyn Edana regularly stuns polite society with her reckless exploits. But there is one type of exploit the fiery beauty has never experienced. Still innocent when it comes to men and their roguish ways, she can barely believe the breathless desire she has begun to feel for Adam Keane, a distinguished nobleman and a man with more than his fair share of liaisonsin his past . . .

Now branded by a haunting tragedy, Adam will not rest until he lures Bronwyn to his bed. When a shocking conspiracy threatens their lives, he'll bring her from the dangerous streets of London to the sweeping countryside—for he has seen enough of the world to know that a passion like theirs is priceless.

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1992

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Christina Dodd

98 books5,955 followers
Upcoming:
— 6/30/26 TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN: Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

New and Now!
—MUCH ADO ABOUT MISTLETOE: Daughter of Montague Christmas novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction Trade Paperback Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
— WELCOME TO GOTHIC: A Gothic novella in ebook (at last!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— GIRL ANONYMOUS “Crackling sexual chemistry and a few love scenes guaranteed to scorch readers’ fingers as they turn the pages." — ⭐️ Booklist
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
246 (24%)
4 stars
304 (30%)
3 stars
329 (33%)
2 stars
81 (8%)
1 star
31 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for *CJ*.
5,216 reviews644 followers
March 10, 2026
“Priceless” is the story of Bronwyn and Adam.

The heroine hails from a family of notorious beauties- her parents and siblings are airheads and she’s the plain jane. Her wedding is fixed to the hero- the hottest man of the ton for her title. Their first meeting is a disaster.

The first half of the book has the hero expressing his disappointment at his “ugly” bride- he verbalizes it via thoughts and monologues. He however needs connections with her family. We see the heroine falling for his false charm and compliments- until she overhears his real views about her.

The book could have taken a turn here- there was so much angst- she was a smart, witty woman who could’ve carved a name for herself and made him eat his words..

Instead we get a “makeover”- suddenly she finds herself pretty and he’s found her pretty all along (lie). There’s a distinction between intrigued vs attracted to someone- the hero was definitely former.

There’s some sibling drama, broken engagements, secondary plot involving some evil secondary characters and national deceit- the second half of the book drags on and on with kidnapping and conspiracies but we barely see the characters hash it out. Yes they’re good in bed but then what? Also every single man is a cheater (except the hero so far), there’s some SA apologists, loads of implied violence against women and children that’s mentioned and then nothing. Ugh I hated every single man in this book- and found the plot disappointing. Her self worth did not need to depend on her looks- Madame Rachelle or not.

Also what happened to her love for manuscripts and languages? Why was it pushed under the rug just because she got some good d?

I’m so angry, this spoiled my day. He didn’t deserve her.

Safe
2/5
Profile Image for Melinda.
10 reviews
August 4, 2014
This book was quite difficult to get through. For one, there isn't anything much more boring, in my opinion, than the stock market. There is an abundance of stock talk in this novel. For another, the hero, Lord Rawson, is a very unfriendly, cruel, unlikable man who never shows an ounce of kindness to Bronwyn. Somehow this leads to her falling in love with him. Hmm....
The writing was poor and sometimes I experienced a bit of confusion about what was happening. In one awkward scene, they tear up each other's clothing after an argument. You'd think it would lead to lovemaking but, no, it leads to an impromptu knife-throwing lesson for Bronwyn. Weird. And wouldn't you know, that tiny lesson proves useful later on in the book.
To close, Lord Rawson never shows any redeeming qualities and I found it difficult to believe any woman could fall in love with that sort of man. This was a very unpleasant read.
Profile Image for Preet.
3,402 reviews233 followers
August 18, 2013
It's amazing how things change with time. I've read so many books that the ones that didn't stand out tend to fade. I re-read this book today after who knows how long and saw that my 3 star rating no longer applied. This book is definitely worth 5 stars or more.

This is a romance novel that I think is one that would do well if it was published for the first time today. The fact that it's written by Christina Dodd is just another plus point for it.

The setting and history behind this book are not unique, but using the stock market and speculation as a cornerstone is. The characters are unique and so are the villains. It's a multi-layered story with intrigue, passion, comedy, and emotion. Simply fantastic and priceless.
Profile Image for Missy.
930 reviews21 followers
February 1, 2016
An amazing read.

There is just something irresistable about Adam and Bronwyn maybe it is their desire to be together against their wills.

He has been hurt in the past and desires a easy pretty bride that won't challenge him. For her, her brain and independance are the most important things and she has no desire to be a boring easy bride.....she wants to be an equal partner and someone that trusts in her.

As they try to come to terms with each other's expections and their love, they are working against society, family pressure, and someone out to bring down England. Will they realize what their love means before it is too late?

The author is such a master of bringing to life such wonderful characters that find love not so easy and whatever time period she chooses is so vivid and real. Beautifully well written, detailed, humorous, dangerous, and charmimg.....a joy to read!
Profile Image for Sharyn.
3,226 reviews28 followers
August 29, 2013
The reviews of this book were all over the map-from 0 to 5 stars! This book, written in 1992 holds up well. I liked the historical descriptions of the stock market and the scandals of the South Sea Company. The financial machinations of the time had a great political affect in England at the time, and the explanations were well done. In addition, the heroine was very intelligent and understood all that was going on. Robert Walpole was a character and some of the action was trying to thwart his assasination. Plus good dialogue between the main characters. I like a historicals where I learn history and have a good romance!
Profile Image for Kassi.
253 reviews11 followers
September 21, 2012
This book was one of those that I read in two days! Partly because work was slow.. haha, but also because I couldn't put it down! It's one of those similar to say, Pride and Prejudice in historical timing, but so much more exciting! I love a leading lady that can think for herself and is just a little bit different than everyone else! With a bit of a stock market conspiracy happening throughout and interesting tid-bits about trading stocks during this time period, it made for a stimulating read! One can't forget the romance part too!
18 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2012
This book could have been really great if there was more "something" from the hero. It also felt a bit choppy at times, so much so that I went back and checked the page numbers to see if I had missed a page.
"something" = devotion, caring, society be damned ... I don't know, but something was missing.
Profile Image for Raffaella.
1,965 reviews315 followers
May 6, 2023
This one has a favorite CD theme, that is the heroine’s going from ugly duckling to awesome swan.
She’s the ugly duckling of a family where the women are exceptionally beautiful, they are tall, well built, with dark hair and fair skin while she’s slim, petite and has blonde hair.
Of course the fashion of the period, we’re talking 18 century here, doesn’t do anything for her, she’s crushed under huge wigs and too padded dresses.
The hero, thinking his betrothed is one of the beautiful sisters, is appalled to discover she’s not at all like her sisters.
He’s frankly rude and dismissive of her the first times they meet, but he soon finds out there’s something more under that wigs and clothes. He’s attracted to her and finds her beautiful. There are kisses and petting involved.
Then the heroine listens to a conversation and thinks he’s only trying to subdue her so she runs away and leaves him.
There are so many things I didn’t like.
- the heroine is a smart and learned woman. She basically goes to a friend of hers, that has something similar to a brothel. And she hides in plain sight.
Because the woman turns her into a beauty, taking off her wigs and changing her clothes. Nobody recognized her. Meh.
- the hero tries to find her but get engaged immediately with her younger sister.
- he seduces the heroine while engaged to his sister and the two have an affair for weeks while he refuses to break his engagement, because he doesn’t want yo dishonor her sister. Of course screwing the heroine while engaged to her sister is not dishonorable at all. FO.
-he never breaks his engagement even if he is in love with the heroine, he will ask one of his friends to help him stop the wedding, but he’s not able to talk to his fiancée, who by the way is reluctant and wants to be a nun, and he’s ready to marry ow.
- I don’t think he never love the heroine. He would have broken his engagement if he were. He never did it.
- there’s too much talking about stocking exchange and business I wasn’t interested in. Half the book was about it. Who cares? It’s a romance.
- there’s a villain, the usual sadist who for some reasons hates both the hero and the heroine, and this one gives die hard another meaning. He’s like wack a mole game: the more you hit him the more he stands up. No way.
- eventually the hero was the one to blame because he was never sweet and caring to the heroine, he never shows his love until the very end, and then it was too little too late.
So, not completely a failure but not good either.
Profile Image for Sue Gosland.
1,271 reviews1 follower
Read
November 7, 2023
I have never read a book by Christina Dodd that I did not adore. This one was no exception.

Bronwyn Edana never saw herself as beautiful. Her sisters were beautiful. Bronwyn was not. She hid her curly, fair, almost white hair under a brown wig, she tried to hide her tan skin, and she knew she could never be the wife Adam Keane, the viscount Rawson was looking for. What she didn't know was that Adam didn't know what kind of wife he was really looking for. It was great fun watching two people so right for each other fall in love, through all sorts of miscommunications. All kinds of trouble ensues, of course, as well as attempts on both their lives, and all sorts of misadventures until the ending, which I am not going to spoil for you. I loved it.
Profile Image for Layla.
11 reviews
November 20, 2017
I've been disturbed lately, going back and rereading two of Christina Dodd's novels, to find blatant rape scenes between the "hero" and heroine. Although the scene in "A Well Favored Gentleman" is more appalling in how thoroughly it's plotted out, executed by the "hero," and celebrated -- raping her for the greater good so he can have a place in the world -- and cavalierly treated by the author, this one was no less apparent and disheartening. And what's frustrating is that the author is skilled enough that she clearly could have found another way to accomplish her ends. I remember enjoying Dodd's books as a younger woman. No longer. I will not be reading any more of her novels.
Profile Image for Caro.
1,776 reviews42 followers
April 4, 2021
This was a good book. I liked the characters, the personalities, the plot and how well this was written. This was interesting, colorful, full of adventure, daring, a little suspenseful, some action thrown in and a good ending that leaves you with a smile. Great for reading anytime, although I did lose a few hours. ;) Some parts were a little slower but mostly the book kept a pretty good pace. It does draw you in. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Katie.
200 reviews
May 23, 2021
This was my first book by Dodd and I wanted to like it. I really tried. But I found the conflict contrived, the attraction between Bronwyn and Adam strained and tedious and altogether I just found myself irritated by the tropes that felt overplayed and overused. I love romance novels and read them voraciously, but this one just felt like it was trying too hard to force a conflict where one didn't need to be.
Profile Image for Kaitlin.
4 reviews
September 14, 2023
I didn’t care for either of the main characters in the end. It started out with promise, but the fmc just got tedious and the mmc was boring. Some romance scenes were far too close to assault for my taste and the wrap up just seemed contrived for the sake of tension that was unnecessary by that point.

I really only finished it because the beach house I’m renting is sadly lacking in beach reads and it was what was available.
Profile Image for Brittnay.
101 reviews
June 7, 2024
I love a good battle of wills between two intense characters. The author did a great job when it came to writing Bronwyn and Adam's characters. This book was easy to follow and very entertaining!
Profile Image for J..
531 reviews13 followers
February 12, 2010
Oh dear God, would that a coworker had not left this at my desk. Freakin' fantastic plot. Gawdawful writing. It was like words...no, whole sentences were left out. The beginning was awkward and hard to follow. The characters were poorly developed in the beginning, particularly the secondary character such as Browyn's parents. They seemed to flipflop in their words and actions. argh. annoying. There was a scene in the beginning when Adam says some fairly cruel things to another person regarding Browyn and even though Dodd shows his later reflection on, it isn't handled well. The explaination was lacking.

By the end the writing was much improved, forcing me to grudgingly admit I liked the story. The plot was complex and intelligent. Maybe I just hate wigs and cosmetics and other such frippery.
3 reviews3 followers
Read
July 24, 2010
No, I didn't forget to mark the stars. That's really my rating--a big fat zero. I hate to have to say this about a book by an author I normally love, but this book was TERRIBLE! It was almost painful to continue reading it, but I did so in the hopes that it would improve as it went on.

Well...it didn't. I just couldn't like either the hero or the heroine, so I didn't really care what happened to them. The secondary characters were just as bad, if not worse. The whole thing just seemed pointless.

If you're reading this review while contemplating buying and/or reading this book, please DON'T BOTHER!!! Pick any one of Christina Dodd's other books instead, and you won't regret it. But this one is a total waste of time.
Profile Image for Jenny.
552 reviews29 followers
Did Not Finish
February 19, 2020
Points for historical romance for knowing that consent is a thing. But I'm taking them away for not understanding how consent works. Basically the main female character was pretending to be someone else (bit iffy) the male character specifically asks for consent and then when there about to do the deed she realises he knows who she is and says no and doesn't want to continue. But he's like "Hahah you said yes" and continues. Also the sex was fade to black after that moment so you didnt know if she enjoyed it. Like consent can be very iffy in historical romance but if you see they enjoyed you can kinda suspend your disbelief (Urgh that was gross to write, I know thats not how rape/consent works in the real world!)
Profile Image for C Joy.
1,809 reviews66 followers
September 12, 2009
Characters were well introduced and there was a gradual development but it bored me a lot because mostly it talked about stocks and the stock market. Quite different from other Christina Dodd novels I've read because the marriage was fixed, the heroine wasn't really full of herself and the guy wasn't a rake, but someone very serious. His character is constant all through out but there are parts where I hated him for taking advantage of the girl. It all worked out in the end (happy ending of course) but still, it bored me.
Profile Image for Maura.
373 reviews10 followers
October 6, 2011
London 1720 Bronwyn is engaged to a be married through arrangement. Adam is a nobleman who was thoughtless and unkind with his description of Bronwyn's physical attributes. She realizes Adam's low opinion of her and runs away. There is also a conspiracy subplot involving the British realm. The story was just okay.
Profile Image for April.
109 reviews
January 7, 2013
This is definitely not one of my favorite Christina Dodd books. All that Stock Market talk was a little over my head, to be honest. I think that the story should have been more about Bronwyn and her transformation and insecurities and Adams gradual acceptance and understanding. But I did read it all in one sitting, so it held my interest.
Profile Image for Ssil.
232 reviews137 followers
November 26, 2013
Amor sin medida, escrito en 1992, cuenta a su favor con un contexto realista y unos protagonistas peculiares. Es una novela que entretiene, de regencia clásica, que cuenta con varios ingredientes, pero de la que se podría haber sacado mucho más.

Reseña: http://loquequierahoy.blogspot.com.es...
Profile Image for Kristine.
151 reviews
March 30, 2014
This was a fun historical romance. Browny was spirited and Adam was strong and passionate. I loved that she runs away from him and he follows her, although it pissed me off that he agreed to marry her sister! The underlying murder mystery was not so mysterious and a bit convoluted but fun and added a little spice.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,644 reviews9 followers
February 21, 2016
I enjoyed this book more than the previous two stand alone books. The characters were well developed and the story engaging. I enjoyed how they made each other better. It did take a long time for the bad guy to be defeated, and I was surprised by how he got away when I originally thought he was caught. I will continue to read this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for gina~*.
89 reviews24 followers
March 16, 2010
Come on ladies... Wapole made me give this book 5 stars.. what a funny character he was!! Great Dodd... I really enjoyed this one more than her others. Wittier, better mystery, hotter romance than any other Dodd's I've read so far.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
2,512 reviews37 followers
September 28, 2010
This was a *terrible* book. Too much "intellectual" plot (HA!), not enough sex and romance - just a bunch of dumb people (who think they are smart) running around doing reallllly dumb things. I can't believe I actually read the whole damn thing. ::hides in shame::
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews