About Christmas TV History

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Nine Lives of Christmas by Sheila Roberts




I recently received a review copy of best-selling author Sheila Roberts' new book The Nine Lives of Christmas just released in late October.  I'm excited to review the book because Roberts' previous work On Strike for Christmas was adapted for the TV movie of the same title which first aired on the Lifetime Movie Network in 2010.  It will air several times this year as well, starting Monday, Nov. 28th at 8pm (ET) on Lifetime. Click here to see my post about On Strike for Christmas.

Sheila Roberts' new book The Nine Lives of Christmas is a feel-good romance story taking place at Christmas time. After Zachary takes in a stray cat, he casually meets Merilee, a cat lover and former veterinary student who helps him with his needs as a new cat owner.  Though Zach is a strong and confident firefighter, his heart is not open to a loving commitment.  But miracles can happen, whether we anticipate them or not, at Christmas time.

The fun here is that the story is told through three distinct voices: the male hero, Zach; Merilee who lacks confidence; and, a ginger tabby cat named Ambrose.  The cat Ambrose is on his ninth and final life, and recognizes several of the people he meets from his earlier lives.  Not only is it enjoyable to read about the outsider's view of this potential romance between the male and female characters--from the point of view of a cat--but Ambrose's role in their coming together draws from what seems like Fate, making the story feel even more romantic.

I enjoyed this romance and I can see that it has potential to be a wonderful TV movie if it is ever optioned as such.  In the last few years, dogs have been a very common and popular element in Christmas TV movies, for example: The 12 Dogs of Christmas, A Dog Named Christmas, Santa Buddies, The Search for Santa Paws, A Golden Christmas, The Dog Who Saved Christmas, the sequel The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation and more.  I'm willing to bet cat lovers would love to see their favorite pets depicted in a Christmas TV movie as well. Until then, The Nine Lives of Christmas is a heart-warming read that will charm cat-lovers and romantics this Yuletide.

Below is an audio clip from the audiobook of The Nine Lives of Christmas, courtesy of the publisher.

Best of all: I have a signed, hardbound copy of the new book The Nine Lives of Christmas by Sheila Roberts that I'll be giving away in the Gratitude Giveaway starting Nov. 17th.  Good Luck!



1 comment:

  1. Sounds fun! I have been slowly becoming addicted to Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movie Channel! Ack! Christmas Movie Takeover!

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