This HaBO was sent in by Jamie, who wants to find this historical romance:
I am hoping to get some help on finding a book that I read over 10 years ago. It was a hardback book that I got at a used book sale. The cover was a reddish color, with a photo of a woman in a red or gold dress facing away from the camera on the back. It’s a regency-era historical romance, but with some adventure elements.
The details are pretty fuzzy, so they may not be remembered exactly correctly.
The main character has red hair and while attending a ball, she witnesses some sort of crime or break-in that the hero is somehow involved in, leading to a sort of accidental kidnapping situation. They end up traveling through some sort of smuggler caves or cellars, and are being pursued by some other bad people. I believe near the end they end up eloping in Scotland or Gretna Green.
My guess is that it may be part of a series, since it mentions in the beginning that the heroine has at least one happily married sister, but is not particularly interested in finding a match.
Sound familiar?
It doesn’t line up perfectly but could it be The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig? Or another of the Pink Carnation series? They’re all romance adventure in that timeperiod. She also did have hard back copies and they’re all old enough to match your timeline.
Hope you find your answer!
“Ravished” by Amanda Quick is a regency romantic suspense, with some adventures in caves.
Reminds my of a Cynster book, perhaps Viscount Breckenridge To The Rescue or In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster.
or Smuggler’s Moon by Cynthia Wright.
I’ve read so many of these, they tend to run together after a bit.
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I know this one! It’s Shameless by Karen Robards