The Nine Lives of Christmas

When a guy is in trouble, he starts making deals with his Creator…and Ambrose the cat is no exception. In danger of losing his ninth and final life, Ambrose makes a desperate plea. He’ll do anything—anything!—if he can just survive and enjoy a nice long, final life. His prayer is answered when a stranger comes along and saves him, and now it looks like he has to hold up his end of the bargain.

The stranger turns out to be a fire fighter named Zach, the quintessential commitment- phobe who’s in need of some serious romantic help. If Ambrose can just bring Zach together with Merilee, the nice lady who works at Pet Palace, it’s bound to earn him a healthy ninth life. Unfortunately for Ambrose, his mission is a lot harder than he ever anticipated. Now it’s going to take all his feline wiles—and a healthy dose of Christmas magic—to bring them all together in time for the holidays.

The story is told from three different points of view from the residents of Angel Falls, first is Ambrose, the cat who fears that he is on his last of nine lives and wishes for one more opportunity at his last life, as long as it's relaxing and a very LONG one. He silently makes a vow to his maker that if he can just have one more try, he promises that he will do better at if given just this last chance. He has spent most of his other eight lives searching for a permanent place to live, dodging dogs, and trying to find a warm meal. Now if he can only find someone to save him from the tree he managed to climb up in with a vicious dog waiting for him at the bottom. Lucky for him, he's about to get his wish!

Zachery Stone, a firefighter in search of something besides just working. He liked helping people and fixing up his old Victorian home but not to fill it with a family much to the suggestion of his mother and his sister. Even though they had both attempted to set him up with online dating services and even the Bachelor, he had hoped they figured out that he wasn't interested in marriage. No worries, no stress, no "Honey Do" lists, just good times being a single guy. But his life is about to change when a stray orange cat shows up unexpectedly on his front porch with a chewed up ear and a flea collar. He hoped to hold on to him long enough for his owner to come pick him up. Yet Ambrose has other plans.

Merilee White, our heroine who works at Pet Palace and runs into Zach when he heads there to find some cat food for the stray that has now found a home with him. She provides him with advice on what to feed cats, even though she is cute and reminds Zach of an elf-ette with curls! She thought she may have connected with Zach but when he takes her advice and just buys the cat food, she feels rejected. She keeps questioning what she said or did wrong. Even though her sisters seem to have no problem finding guys. They keep telling her she's sending out the wrong signals. If only she could the right guy, someone like the guy who she gave advice about the cat food. He was a Viking and the plus side, was that he liked animals too. The insecurity she held onto since middle school along with the recent weight loss keep holding her back. She kept thinking she was a failure. If only seems to be her Christmas wish this year.

Each one takes an opportunity at sharing their version of how their lives all combine to make for a heart warming, romantic Christmas story! I received The Nine Lives of Christmas by Shelia Roberts, compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review and was more than delighted. It's like a version of It's A Wonderful Life from a cat's point of view with a surprising blend of a romantic matchmaker thrown in. Just what you need to get in the spirit for Christmas and well worth every one of 5 out of 5 stars.

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The Nine Lives of Christmas by Shelia Roberts

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