Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter

     Audrianna Kelmsleigh's father was the last man between the supplies of gun powder and the British troops fighting the French.  When bad powder reached the troops and they were massacred, Audrianna's father was held responsible and his name and reputation were ruined.  When he committed suicide, it certainly seemed that he was guilty.  Audrianna, however, can not believe that her father could knowingly do such a thing and she sets out to clear her name.
      When she sees a notice in the paper for her father to meet the "Domino" in a certain country inn, she immediately sets up a meeting.  Knowing that a lady is always prepared, she takes along a gun.  When a very handsome man does indeed show up for the meeting, Audrianna doesn't know that the man is Lord Sebastian Summerhays nor does he know that she is the daughter of the very man he is trying to implicate in the bad powder scandal.
     The gun discharges and suddenly the very private meeting between an unescorted lady and a lord becomes very public.  The more Audrianna and Sebastian try to keep the whole affair quiet and away from the rumor mill, the more public and scandalous it becomes.  Of course, by now Audrianna is aware that Sebastian thinks her father was at fault and Sebastian isn't sure that her faith in her father is justified.
     Ravishing in Red is a good read with a slightly off-beat plot and it is the first book in the series, The Rarest Blooms.  Audrianna is not really a member of the ton but Sebastian is a second son so all does end well.  If you like your romance about 19th century England, then be sure to pick up Madeline Hunter often.

The Rarest Blooms series

Ravishing in Red (c2010)
Provocative in Pearls (c2010)
Sinful in Satin (c2010)

Regency Romance by Mary Balogh

     I found Mary Balogh when I read A Summer To Remember (c2003).  I went on to read as many of her books as I could find.  At that point, I didn't find many so I left her for another.  Recently, at the library, I found she has been very busy.  I picked up A Secret Affair (c2010)  and remembered why I liked her so much.  Besides all the standards of a good romance - beautiful lady, handsome man, etc. - she almost always adds a little extra something to the plot.  In A Secret Affair she has made the leading man miss being a member of the ton by the mere fact of his birth being two days before his father (an earl) married his mother.  It seems this does not  bother Con too much and it makes it possible for him to find a passion to which he devotes his life and to keep that passion a secret.  There are really two secret affairs in this book and neither of them is the affair between Con and Hannah.
     After I read A Secret Affair, I discovered it was the fifth book in a five book series!  Again, because I like to see how an author allows characters to grow and evolve, I wish I had found the books in order.  In the first book, it seems that Con is a blackguard and a scroundrel.  As the books progress, Balogh uncovers Con a layer at a time.  Because of this quirk of mine to see growth in characters, I have listed the series below in order for you.  At this point I have read most of them and I can assure you that the characters do take on insight and maturity as the series progresses. Each romance is different just as each couple is different. 
     If you have read Mary Balogh before, this series will not disappoint you.  It is also nice to think that there were a few noblemen and women who were truly noble.

The Huxtable Quintet

First Comes Marriage  (c2009)
Then Comes Seduction  (c2009)
At Last Comes Love  (c2009)
Seducing an Angel  (c2010)
A Secret Affair   (c2010)