A Christmas Surprise E-Book

A. C. Meyer

• Herausgeber: Tektime
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 126

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Christmas Surprise is a romantic comedy full of heavenly twists, unlikely encounters and lessons in love, where laughter and hope appear as unexpected gifts at a time as magical as Christmas.

If you like Christmas romances, grumpy x sunshine, fast burn, soulmates, redemption, romance with a fairytale, family of the heart, small town, romance between neighbors and instalove, this romance is for you! Helô's life has changed drastically. The doctor, who should be enjoying the best years of her life, now has to deal with more than just a broken heart: she needs to heal her soul and start over, but she knows she won't be able to do that at home, where the memories are too strong. She thought she needed solitude to find herself again, but for fifteen days, she will face a completely unexpected journey alongside Nando, a former executive in search of simplicity. With the interference of three nosy and gossipy old ladies, and a little heavenly encouragement, she will have to face her greatest fears and find the strength she needs to change her life. Christmas Surprise is a romantic comedy full of heavenly twists, unlikely encounters and lessons in love, where laughter and hope appear as unexpected gifts at a time as magical as Christmas.

Leseprobe

Synopsis

Helô's life has changed dramatically. The doctor, who should be enjoying the best years of her life, now has to deal with more than a broken heart: she needs to heal her soul and start again, but she knows she won't be able to do that at home, where the memories are too strong.

She believed she needed time alone to rediscover herself, but for fifteen days, she would embark on an entirely unexpected journey with Nando, a former executive seeking simplicity. With the interference of three nosy and gossipy ladies and a little heavenly encouragement, she will have to face her greatest fears and find the strength she needs to change her life.

Christmas Surprise is a romantic comedy full of heavenly twists and turns, unlikely encounters, and love lessons, where laughter and hope appear as unexpected gifts at a time as magical as Christmas.

Christmas Surprise

Copyright © 2023 by A. C. Meyer

Cover: Ana Bizutti

Translated by: Renata D. Morais

Copy-Editing: Mariana C. Dias

Proofreading and digital layout: Andréia Barboza

Text revised according to the new Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously and should not be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, real events, locations, or organizations is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved and protected by Law 9610 of 2/19/1998. Except for the use of short excerpts in reviews, the reproduction or use of this book, in whole or in part, in any form, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, is prohibited.

To the angel who touched my heart and spoke in my ear every day from October to November: "Go writeeeeeee!!!"

I'm glad I believe in magic, especially Christmas magic!

Playlist

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Mariah Carey

Natal das Crianças — Ivete Sangalo

O velhinho (Estrelas de Natal) — Fernanda Takai

Mistletoe - Justin Bieber

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Sam Smith

Christmas Light — Coldplay

White Christmas — Michael Bublé

"Christmas is much, much more than candlelight and joy. It's the sweet spirit of friendship that shines all year round. It is consideration and kindness, it is hope reborn for peace, for the understanding and benevolence of men."

Author unknown

Author's note

In 2018, when I wrote One Magic Christmas, I felt I could explore this universe of angels and guardians a little more. I love stories (whether books or films) that have a touch of magic, in which beings of light honor us with their presence on Earth and present us with Christmas miracles.

Since then, every year around September, I tell myself that I have to write a new Christmas story. It took me five years (my God, where did the time go?)⁣ to dust off the Christmas decorations, buy new twinkle lights, and finally sit down at the keyboard and write.

I was touched by Ariel, a messenger angel who needs to visit us on Earth and restore a broken soul by uniting soul-mates. When I finished this story, I came to the conclusion that I needed a little bit of magic - magic that only angels could give me to tell this story, which made me start writing again.

So, Christmas Surprise is part of a cute and fun universe that touches the hearts of Christmas romance fans (all year round!). It's an independent story, with a beginning, middle and end, which you can read even if you haven't read One Magic Christmas (but don't forget to read Gabriela and Samuel's story! It's very cute, I swear!).

Now, the question I know you're asking yourself: "If you're part of the same universe, are you going to write other stories?" The answer is... I don't know. Who knows, maybe next year (or some other year), at this same special time, I'll receive a visit from another angel who wants to share their adventures on Earth, helping people who need a little push to stay together... Let's hope so! ;)

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thank you for reading.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

A. C. Meyer

Prologue

It's a truth universally known that no matter what happens in life, two hearts that are meant to beat together are not forever separated. It doesn't matter how long it takes. Days, weeks, months, years... lifetimes.

These are the hearts we call soul-mates, which belong to individuals with such deep connections, such intense affinities, that the hearts always find a way to meet.

It's not easy to identify soul mates, although humans tend to make their own guesses on the subject. After all, only the beings of light who preserve the order of the universe and live in a dimension far beyond human comprehension have the divine knowledge and energy to identify who these souls are. And these enlightened beings, immersed in the power of God, are the ones who shower blessings from on high in the form of miracles and choose messengers of light as their representatives on Earth to help reunite souls.

Ariel had recently been promoted to messenger of light. Ever since Gabriela, an apprentice, was sent to Earth to help mend a writer's broken heart and ended up giving up eternity to stay by his side, the guardians have been reluctant to promote other apprentices. But Ariel attended classes diligently, took the exams and got the best grades. He listened to all the celestial podcasts and talks by celestial coaches available on Prime Divino. So he was chosen from his class.

That's why he was there, in front of the guardians' room, waiting to receive his first assignment.

- Welcome, Ariel. Are you ready for your first task as a messenger of light? - Angela, one of the guardians, asked with a smile that had the power to calm all the angels, from the youngest to the oldest.

- Yes, I am," Ariel replied excitedly. After all, I had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

- "Very good," Angela commented, tucking a lock of her white hair behind her ear. The short, slender woman stood and approached Ariel, entwining her arm in his. - The mission is very important, as you must know. Since Gabriela left... - She let the words die and shook her head. Then he said quietly: "Since she left, the great guardians have been reluctant to continue the mission.

- "I promise I'll do my best to complete the task," said Ariel, but she shook her head as they approached the big screen.

- You have a sweet and pure heart, Ariel, and I trust in your potential. I know you won't let me down, but I have to stress: before anything else, I need your total dedication to this mission.

- And you will.

She nodded. With a smile, he pressed a few buttons, and the screen lit up. In a few moments, a beautiful blue sky appeared. Although he had never seen the equipment in person, Ariel knew what it was: a high-tech, Earth-bound transmitter that broadcast everything that happened on the planet in real time.

- This is incredible! - the angel exclaimed, pointing to the large monitor, and Angela smiled. She pressed a few more buttons, and the image zoomed in, as if giving a huge zoom , and displayed a paradisiacal image, an extremely blue sea in the background. - What a beautiful place...

- Armação de Búzios - Angela said. - It's your destination.

- Búzios? Destination? But... - Ariel interrupted himself, confused. It had been a long, long time since the messengers had been to Earth.

- I know, I know - the guardian confirmed. - Since Gabriela, no one has been allowed to go to Earth. But this time, it's for an important reason. And you were the chosen one, because I believe that you won't fall in love with a human, like that girl did - may God enlighten her path.

- Going to Earth? Important reason? And what reason would that be? Why wouldn't I fall in love? Just because my hair is gray? Uriel assured me that I don't look the 264 heavenly years I did last month. - Ariel puffed out his chest and stuck out his nose to show that he was in excellent shape.

Angela laughed.

- You won't fall in love, because you know who your soulmate is and you won't meet her on earth," Angela said, and he parted his lips, feeling a painful twinge of longing. His soulmate was still on Earth, fulfilling his mission. And he waited patiently for her, he had no choice. - And because he knows how much it hurts to be away from his soulmate, his mission is to unite two hearts that, life after life, can't find each other again.

- "Ah..." he murmured, and she nodded.

- The problem between these two is more than a broken heart. Heloísa's soul is broken, and she needs help to heal before she can find her way again.

Ariel's eyes moistened. He understood very well what that meant. His heart wasn't complete for the same reason: his other half hadn't yet found the path to healing.

Angela held one of his hands and patted it lightly, as if trying to comfort him.

- You'll be transported there, so you'll need to interact with humans," she said, and the angel's eyes widened. - You'll spend time with Heloísa and help her recover her heart and soul.

- But how... how... am I going to do it? - This seemed to be a more complex mission than he had ever imagined.

- You'll know when you get there," she said, maintaining the mystery. But before Ariel had a chance to say anything, Angela continued, repeating the words she had said to a special young woman many years ago: - but, my dear, it's very important that you don't forget three things: no one must know you're from here or anything related to us; you must fulfill your mission by Christmas Eve, because when the bell rings at midnight, your time on Earth is over.

He nodded, feeling dazed.

- And the third and most important: as long as you are in human form, like them, free will, will guide your destiny. Stay focused on the mission and be careful with the choices you make.

- Will someone help me? And how will I know who Heloísa is? When...

Once again, the guardian interrupted him:

- Everything will be clear when you arrive. And whenever you need me, you'll find answers to your questions from those with pure hearts. Now it's time to go, Ariel. See you at Christmas.

With a snap of the guardian's fingers, the world he knew faded away.

01

First day

Fernando opened the doors of the room that led onto the balcony facing the sea and took a deep breath. The salty smell of the sea penetrated his lungs, and he smiled. Every morning, he got up and, before anything else, went to look at the sea. It was incredible how the emerald tone of the water in Búzios relaxed him. The blue sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight - a perfect summer's day. The feeling of gratitude that embraced him every time he opened those glass doors invaded him, making it impossible not to remember the journey that had taken him there.

It had been five years since he had given up living in the capital of Rio, where he worked for an investment company and lived under stress, to start a business on the coast. He was depressed, under pressure, dejected and exhausted. He lived on antacids and muscle relaxants and hardly slept, worried about the very high targets he had to achieve.

It wasn't until he blacked out in the middle of a team meeting that he realized something was really wrong. To this day, he perfectly remembers the words of the doctor who had seen him in the emergency room of the hospital he had been taken to: "Every day, you have the chance to make a choice: either keep up the crazy pace and practice stress or put on the brakes a little and practice peace." Those words had touched him deeply, and made Fernando realize that for months, maybe years, he hadn't known what it was like to have peace.

He resigned from the company where he had worked before graduating from economics school, sold the apartment in the south of the city that he had bought with his high income from work, put his belongings in the car, and hit the road.

In the beginning, he had no destination or concrete goal. He wanted to take some time for himself, to really get to know himself and discover what he wanted to do in life. Having worked in the financial market for so long has allowed him to earn a good income. The exhausting workday didn't allow him to spend much; after all, he didn't have time to enjoy what he had achieved. So he invested his money wisely in shares and other types of investment, and that's what gave him financial security when he decided to take a sabbatical to look after himself.

He chose to take the coastal route. He loved the sea and was determined to spend some time somewhere on a beach, learning to do things he had always wanted to do but never had the time, like diving and surfing. He passed through several towns in the Lakes Region - Saquarema, Araruama, São Pedro da Aldeia and Cabo Frio - until he arrived in Búzios, where he discovered the meaning of falling in love.

He had barely entered the city when he was enchanted by the place. In the beginning, he stayed in a guesthouse on the Orla Bardot, a place named after actress Brigitte Bardot who visited it twice in the 1960s. It was one of the most famous spots in the city. As time went by and Fernando got to know the city better, he found his home around Praia Brava. The place was perfect for enjoying the natural beauty of the Búzios coastline and, although it didn't remain untouched, it was much quieter than some of the beaches on the more populated western side of the peninsula.

So it was there, on one of his many walks around the town, that he found the land where he created Vila Feliz. At first, he bought it, thinking of opening a hostel or something like that - a place where he could live and enjoy paradise.

Talking to the engineer he had hired for the work, he was surprised by the arrival of three little ladies of just over 65, one with fiery red hair, another with dark brown locks, and the third with white curls that looked like snowflakes.

- My son, what are you doing here? - the old woman with the red hair asked.

- It's work, isn't it? - the other, with brown hair, asked.

- It's going to be a shopping mall," the one with the snow curls suggested.

- Of course not, Margarida. A shopping mall by the beach? How absurd!