--- a/configmix/__init__.py	Sat Mar 24 18:47:54 2018 +0100
+++ b/configmix/__init__.py	Sat Mar 24 20:57:42 2018 +0100
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 from .config import Configuration
 
 
-__all__ = ["load", "Configuration"]
+__all__ = ["load", "safe_load", "Configuration"]
 
 
 def load(*files):
@@ -44,6 +44,20 @@
         return Configuration(ex)
 
 
+def safe_load(*files):
+    """Analogous to :func:`load` but do merging with :func:`safe_merge`
+    instead of :func:`merge`
+
+    """
+    if not files:
+        return Configuration()
+    else:
+        ex = safe_merge(None, _load_cfg_from_file(files[0]))
+        for f in files[1:]:
+            ex = safe_merge(_load_cfg_from_file(f), ex)
+        return Configuration(ex)
+
+
 def _load_cfg_from_file(filename):
     fnl = filename.lower()
     if fnl.endswith(".yml") or fnl.endswith("yaml"):

--- a/tests/test.py	Sat Mar 24 18:47:54 2018 +0100
+++ b/tests/test.py	Sat Mar 24 20:57:42 2018 +0100
@@ -90,10 +90,10 @@
             self.__check_tree(cfg)
 
 
-class T02LoadAndMerge(unittest.TestCase):
+class _T02MixinLoadAndMerge:
 
     def test01_load(self):
-        cfg = configmix.load(
+        cfg = self._load(
             os.path.join(TESTDATADIR, "conf20.yml"),
             os.path.join(TESTDATADIR, "conf21.yml"))
 
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
                          cfg.getvar_s("test.Str"))
 
     def test02_load_with_ini(self):
-        cfg = configmix.load(
+        cfg = self._load(
             os.path.join(TESTDATADIR, "conf20.yml"),
             os.path.join(TESTDATADIR, "conf21.yml"),
             os.path.join(TESTDATADIR, "conf22.ini"))
@@ -154,5 +154,17 @@
             url)
 
 
+class T02LoadAndMerge(_T02MixinLoadAndMerge, unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self._load = configmix.load
+
+
+class T03SafeLoadAndMerge(_T02MixinLoadAndMerge, unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self._load = configmix.safe_load
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()