An Author To Remember: Sandra Canfield

Sandra Canfield is known for being a buried treasure author who is dearly missed since her death in 2003. She mainly wrote category reads for Harlequin in the mid eighties and early nineties. There are two such reads by her that are my all time favorite romances and I have just found another wonderful romance by Sandra to add to my list ever since I found it at a used book sale I went to a few weeks ago. For those who are not aware of Sandra Canfield, and need some excellent book recommendations by her, these first two books are ones that I have re-read over and over, and still hit the spot after twenty years since when they were first published.

Cherish The Moment- Harlequin Superromance for May 1986 is about Tracy Kent who is recovering from a horrible rape from her husband’s co-worker. Because of the rape, her husband divorces her, and from that moment on she still lives in fear of what happened, and the fact that she may never be intimate with a man ever again. Senator Cole Damon comes into Tracy’s life and won’t let her hide from him. He wants Tracy in every way a man wants a woman, and when he finds out why Tracy shies away from him, he does everything he can to help her accept him. He courts her slowly and shows her that she can trust him. Their romance is a beautiful thing, especially when Tracy allows Cole into her body. Their love and passion for each other brought tears to my eyes the first time I read this classic book. The way Sandra handles the topic of rape is one of the best I have read in a romance, or a book in general.

Night Into Day- Harlequin Superromance for October 1987 is the one book most romance enthusiasts talk about. Patrick O’Casey is a big time professional quarterback who meets the woman of his dreams. She is Alex Farrell, but there is one major problem Patrick has to deal with and that is because Alex has a crippling type of arthritis where she has to use a cane to walk, and some days she is in so much pain, she can hardly get out of bed. The technicalities of intimacy between these two becomes a complicated thing, and the way Patrick handles this gorilla in the room is incredible. Alex is determined to overcome her disease, and wants Patrick by her side, but knows that he is getting quite a handful. Patrick sees how special Alex is both inside and out, and won’t let the issues Alex has, stop him from loving her. This is a most endearing book.

Tigers By Night- Harlequin Superromance for September 1990 is the one I just found at the book sale and another wonderful read. Police officer, Jake Cameron is filled with such immense guilty because, in the line of duty he killed, an innocent bystander. The victim’s wife went into the premature labor and her son is barely surviving. Jake cannot get over his grief, and volunteers at the hospital where he watches over this baby and hopes to come in contact with his mother, Robin. Robin has no clue who Jake is, but he catches her eye because of his volunteerism and the way he is with her son, Peter. Robin is fragile, emotionally, because she feels her own guilt over the loss of her husband, a husband who wasn’t ready for a baby. Jake feels so protective of Robin and because his own marriage fell apart, he hopes that Robin will forgive him for what he did and allow him into her life and Peter’s. Forgiveness and absolution play an important part in this story and is handled so well from the great storytelling technique’s of Sandra.

These are only three books from Sandra Canfield that have become my most cherished reads. I recommend you find at an used book store or an on-line website that has these out of print books.

Are there any authors who are no longer publishing that you miss?

Katiebabs (KB)