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Rating: 
Summary: Light reading for romantic short story fans
Review: "Kara's Gift" by Suzanne Barclay. A wounded knight returning from the Crusades, Duncan MacLellan is nursed back to health by pagan/Christian Kara Gleanedin. Kara is convinced that Duncan is her clan's savior, the one she saw in her vision. Duncan is torn between his desire for Kara and his promises to a childhood sweetheart. Duncan's change of heart is well-defined."The Twelfth Day of Christmas" by Margaret Moore. Giselle Wutherton believes marriage is a prison. When her uncle announces a pending marriage agreement with Sir Myles Buxton, Giselle balks. Myles' brash attitude and ugly, expensive gifts do not help him woo his chosen lady. Then Giselle learns of Myles' unhappy childhood, his insecurities about being unwanted. Confused about her feelings, Giselle fights with an increasingly frustrated Myles. Chock full of emotion, the personal growth of both Giselle and Myles is well drawn. Seeing things from Myles' viewpoint on occasion helps redeem his arrogance with the reader. "A Wish for Noel" by Deborah Simmons is my favorite of the three. Weary of battle and drained by a month of captivity, Benedick Villiers wishes only for a quiet haven when he returns to his holdings after five long years. Instead, Benedick finds a gaily decorated castle, clean and bright, and a beautiful ward, Noel Amery. Noel has loved Benedick since she first met him at the age of 12, but the feeling isn't mutual. Benedick announces Noel will be returned to her home after Epiphany, to await a husband chosen by Benedick. Noel has twelve days to change Benedick's mind and heart, with the help of a special Christmas wish. A lovely tale of a warrior longing for peace and a woman who learns the difference between infatuation and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Gifts of Christmas
Review: "Kara's Gift" by Suzanne Barclay. A wounded knight returning from the Crusades, Duncan MacLellan is nursed back to health by pagan/Christian Kara Gleanedin. Kara is convinced that Duncan is her clan's savior, the one she saw in her vision. Duncan is torn between his desire for Kara and his promises to a childhood sweetheart. Duncan's change of heart is well-defined. "The Twelfth Day of Christmas" by Margaret Moore. Giselle Wutherton believes marriage is a prison. When her uncle announces a pending marriage agreement with Sir Myles Buxton, Giselle balks. Myles' brash attitude and ugly, expensive gifts do not help him woo his chosen lady. Then Giselle learns of Myles' unhappy childhood, his insecurities about being unwanted. Confused about her feelings, Giselle fights with an increasingly frustrated Myles. Chock full of emotion, the personal growth of both Giselle and Myles is well drawn. Seeing things from Myles' viewpoint on occasion helps redeem his arrogance with the reader. "A Wish for Noel" by Deborah Simmons is my favorite of the three. Weary of battle and drained by a month of captivity, Benedick Villiers wishes only for a quiet haven when he returns to his holdings after five long years. Instead, Benedick finds a gaily decorated castle, clean and bright, and a beautiful ward, Noel Amery. Noel has loved Benedick since she first met him at the age of 12, but the feeling isn't mutual. Benedick announces Noel will be returned to her home after Epiphany, to await a husband chosen by Benedick. Noel has twelve days to change Benedick's mind and heart, with the help of a special Christmas wish. A lovely tale of a warrior longing for peace and a woman who learns the difference between infatuation and love.
Rating:
Summary: Gifts of Christmas
Review: Back cover descriptions: Suzanne Barclay/KARA'S GIFT-A pagan healer falls in love with the Christian knight who is destined to save her dying clan. Margaret Moore/THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS-A charming nobleman has twelve days to win the love of his intended bride. Deborah Simmons/A WISH FOR NOEL-An orphan's Christmas wish comes true when she conquers the heart of her world-weary guardian. I agree with the reviewer from GA that the Deborah Simmons story is the best of the lot, but it could have used more time to develope the plot and characters. However, I wasn't really thrilled with the other two stories. The hero in Ms. Moore's story just wasn't appealing-his transformation from vain jerk to love of the heroine's life wasn't convincing. In Ms. Barclay's story, the hero just doesn't seem to be all that smart. It doesn't seem at times as if the hero or heroine are in the same story--pagan christians, christians, druids--what?
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