Jen's Review: 2 Christmas stories by Gail Gaymer Martin

I have mixed feelings about these stories. But first, here is a quick summary of them.

In "Upon a Midnight Clear", Callie takes a job caring for a troubled little girl and eventually falls in love with the child and her widowed father. But will a dark secret in her past keep them apart?

And in "Secrets of the Heart", Kate longs for a man who shares her faith and values. She meets Scott who wants to share her life, but will a long-ago mistake keep them apart?

Let's start with the good. I found the first story to be more complete and enjoyable. The characters were more interesting and relatable... or at least easier to sympathize with.

Now the bad. The two stories were too similar to be bundled together. By the time I got halfway through the second story, I felt like I was reading a re-worked version of story one with some minor changes (names, occupations, ages). "Secrets" was also a little too preachy for my tastes and I found it hard to really like or care about the characters. My suggestion, read "Upon a Midnight Clear" and call it a day.