A seductive and enigmatic prelude to an utterly captivating love story.
Ivan Everley, 13th Baron Rothvale, will tell you himself he’s the LAST person on earth who should have custody over a priceless collection of art, but since when does the irony of life ever fall in line with what somebody wants? Ivan might be a Lord according to British law, but he’s just a regular guy with an appetite for speed…and women…and some dominating kink in the bedroom. Yeah, just a regular guy who happens have Olympic gold medals stashed away in his house. Riiiight. His public profile is merely a sham–his private life a carefully guarded secret borne out of the pain of betrayal. Even his famous cousin, Ethan Blackstone, doesn’t know the whole story about the man he considers a brother.
Lord Ivan has a plethora of problems piled up to his aristocratic eyeballs–that only get more complicated when a beautiful art conservationist shows up to appraise his inherited collection of paintings–but that doesn’t stop him from digging himself in deeper. Nope, not a bit. Once Ivan gets a taste of Gabrielle Hargreave, mistaken identity or not, he can’t think of anything else but how perfect she felt in his arms the night he first laid his eyes on her.
He wants her, and what Ivan wants, Ivan gets. He is Lord Ivan after all. Gabrielle soon discovers that the Dom in him isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. But, yet, Gabrielle Hargreave might just teach our discontent lord a thing or two about life, and about himself, and help them both discover the undeniable truth in what it means to find something genuinely…priceless.
There’s always something special in a Raine Miller book. There’s a singular elegance and seductiveness that simply dazzles me from the start. Priceless is no different. I was already intrigued with Ivan, Ethan’s cousin, and loved Brynne’s friend, Gaby, and this story just beguiled me all the more. It felt like a beginning brimming with possibility. It was the provocative prelude to what will assuredly be one ravishing ride. Their romance is rife with a duel of conflicting feelings: antagonism and need, hate and passion, submission and possession.
The last thing Lord Ivan needs is more drama. His life is a mystery, and one that so many have been intent on exploiting. So when he orders an escort for the annual Mallerton Society event, it’s a woman in an emerald green dress he seeks as his companion for the evening. And when he finds her, he is struck by her beauty. Enticed to take her right then and there. She’s just as affected by him too. Caught up in an instant whirlwind of desire, two strangers get to know each other intimately in the shroud of darkness. The problem is, that woman wasn’t his escort.
Gabrielle had been taken by a gorgeous man. Long dark hair, piercing eyes, confident, seductive personality… she had been driven to do something she didn’t normally do. As an art conservationist, she relished in her work, loved the thrill of finding a priceless work of art. Her life unfortunately, was a bit more of a mess. She’d lost her mother, disliked her stepfather, missed her siblings and despite having friends like Ben and Brynne, felt rather lonely and adrift. So when she met this unsettling man at the Mallerton Society event, she had been utterly entranced by everything about him. She never expected to see him again, much less in a professional capacity.
Gabrielle and Ivan meet under unlikely circumstances and when they meet again, they are caught up in a fury of heightened emotions… surprise, anger and misunderstandings. To say it does not go well is an understatement. But Ivan was already bewitched by her and he was intent to have her. After all, he always got what he wanted.
What ensues is a passionate push and pull as Ivan pursues Gabrielle. Both of them have been going through life a bit lonely and lost, and it seemed as if something inside them sparked to life the moment they met. Ivan, ever-possessive, in the bedroom and out, was ready to make her his in every way that counted, because already, he was in deep.
There are secrets that remain uncovered. Lord Ivan has been betrayed, but the mystery remains as to the how and why and who of it. As I mentioned above, this book to me was a delicious, sexy prelude to what’s to come. I expect we’ll touch on the world of BDSM, discover the truths behind Ivan’s past and see how it all plays out. I loved Ivan’s eccentric and enigmatic personality and loved seeing him together with Gaby. I loved seeing more of Ethan and Brynne and seeing them all interact. I can’t wait to devour more of this story and see what will happen next.
Note – For fans of the Blackstone affair books, the story begins in that Mallerton event we read about where there’s a bomb threat, and continues through Ethan and Brynne’s wedding.
The Rothvale Legacy books can be read separately from the Blackstone Affair books.
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