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Notes from Home
While deployed on a covert mercenary assignment, Johnny doesn’t have much in the way of holiday cheer. But the mysterious notes from Dex that somehow appear in his bunk—reminding him of the gifts, cookies, celebrations, and most of all, love, waiting for him back in Wisconsin—help him get through the long, hot days. Will they be enough to keep his spirits up when the rest of his unit goes home to their families and he’s left alone?
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2019 Advent Calendar "Homemade for the Holidays."
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2019
1 person is currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Dirk Greyson
21 books115 followersDirk is very much an outside kind of man. He loves travel and seeing new things.
Dirk worked in corporate America for way too long and now spends his days writing, gardening, and taking care of the home he shares with his partner of more than two decades.
He has a Master’s Degree and all the other accessories that go with a corporate job. But he is most proud of the stories he tells and the life he's built.
Dirk lives in Pennsylvania in a century old home and is blessed with an amazing circle of friends.
Dirk worked in corporate America for way too long and now spends his days writing, gardening, and taking care of the home he shares with his partner of more than two decades.
He has a Master’s Degree and all the other accessories that go with a corporate job. But he is most proud of the stories he tells and the life he's built.
Dirk lives in Pennsylvania in a century old home and is blessed with an amazing circle of friends.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 21, 2019
This short and sweet little nugget really delivered a lot of feels for being only 22 pages long. All the more impressive considering the two MC’s aren’t even together for the bulk of the story.
Johnny is on assignment and receives love letters from home from Dex on the regular and those letters get him through the hot and lonely days and nights. The author does a really solid job of showing how much these two love one another through Dex’s letters and handmade Christmas tchotchkes, as well as through Johnny’s inner musings. The fact that they won’t be able to be together for the holidays is heartbreaking, but something that they both accept as part of Johnny’s job for the greater good.
The ending is a perfect coming home moment and my heart grew three sizes just reading it.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
Johnny is on assignment and receives love letters from home from Dex on the regular and those letters get him through the hot and lonely days and nights. The author does a really solid job of showing how much these two love one another through Dex’s letters and handmade Christmas tchotchkes, as well as through Johnny’s inner musings. The fact that they won’t be able to be together for the holidays is heartbreaking, but something that they both accept as part of Johnny’s job for the greater good.
The ending is a perfect coming home moment and my heart grew three sizes just reading it.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
December 20, 2019
“The snow is falling in light, silent flakes, and I’ll be dreaming of you every night.”
This sweet read captured Christmas on the page perfectly in smells, sounds, and love. I adored each and every letter!
Johnny is spending another holiday serving and protecting his country far from home. But warm letters from Dex are helping him survive. Each note has been magically and mysteriously appearing in his quarters every three days. How are they getting there? He has no idea, but the little piece of home has his heart asking all sorts of questions about his future.
I could feel Dex's love in every word and Johnny's hope of another letter on his bunk after a long day. I loved the suspense of waiting for another letter. It had that waiting for Santa to come feeling to it. That excitement!
This shorty is my favorite holiday read this season. Check it out!
December 28, 2019
Christmas apart ...
A terrific way to spend a half hour. Johnny is on a special mission overseas, awaiting their orders. He’s been getting letters to cheer him through Christmas, from his boyfriend, Dex.
The other guys have wives and kids, so he hadn’t asked for time off. Even after 8 years, he thought they should get to go... An adorable, heartwarming tale.
Enjoy !
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A terrific way to spend a half hour. Johnny is on a special mission overseas, awaiting their orders. He’s been getting letters to cheer him through Christmas, from his boyfriend, Dex.
The other guys have wives and kids, so he hadn’t asked for time off. Even after 8 years, he thought they should get to go... An adorable, heartwarming tale.
Enjoy !
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December 5, 2019
Having never served in any branch of the armed forces it can be very easy for me to forget the struggles that enlisted members and their loved ones endure particularly during the holidays. Dirk Greyson, with his short story ‘Notes from Home’, reminded me of how lonely it can be to be far from one’s beloved during Christmas.
Johnny is spending his Christmas holiday in the Middle East, far away from Dex, the man he fell in love with four months before. He has no idea how Dex managed it but somehow, someway – and no one in his unit is talking – there is a letter left on his bunk every three days from Dex. No postage and no idea who is delivering them, as all the guys claim ignorance, Johnny is beyond grateful for these brief missives of love.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
Johnny is spending his Christmas holiday in the Middle East, far away from Dex, the man he fell in love with four months before. He has no idea how Dex managed it but somehow, someway – and no one in his unit is talking – there is a letter left on his bunk every three days from Dex. No postage and no idea who is delivering them, as all the guys claim ignorance, Johnny is beyond grateful for these brief missives of love.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
June 18, 2020
I really loved this one but you know I love Andrew Grey's books.
Absolutely 5 stars. This was really so sweet.
Absolutely 5 stars. This was really so sweet.
December 27, 2019
*3.5 stars*
While Johnny is overseas and missing his new boyfriend he mysteriously keeps getting letters from him, delivered every three days. The weird part is that there is no way for mail to reach him where he is and there's no contact with the outside world that doesn't have to do with their mission.
It's a sweet story with a happy ending, some very generous teammates and an excited puppy. The setting is very promising and I'd love to see a full novel about this couple.
*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. *
While Johnny is overseas and missing his new boyfriend he mysteriously keeps getting letters from him, delivered every three days. The weird part is that there is no way for mail to reach him where he is and there's no contact with the outside world that doesn't have to do with their mission.
It's a sweet story with a happy ending, some very generous teammates and an excited puppy. The setting is very promising and I'd love to see a full novel about this couple.
*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. *
December 12, 2019
I'm not going to say too much about Dirk Greyson's Notes from Home because there's a little holiday mystery going on here that I don't want to give away. I'll just say this: Notes from Home is short but truly heartwarming on many levels, a near perfect holiday gem to brighten your day. If you are looking for a story that will make your day brighter than look no further because Notes from Home certainly fills you with the magic of the season.
December 1, 2019
I wasn’t expecting to cry with this one…but alas, as it’s the holiday’s and I know that so many solider’s are spending their Christmas away from their families, it hit me right in the feels…
In this one, Johnny is on assignment with his unit, a mercenary group for the government. While he’s mostly been alone for the last almost decade and didn’t have a family to go home to like most on his team, this year was different. While on leave, he’d met Dex and though they’d only been together for a few months, he now had someone he was missing around the holilday season.
Not meaning to get bummed about not being able to see Dex, he kind of was… until he came in from patrol one evening a week before Christmas and saw a letter on his bed, with a festive sticker and the handwriting of his love back home. Every three days he was delivered a letter from Dex that spoke of how much he was missing Johnny and how he couldn’t wait until he got back home and they could make their own traditions. He went on about his days, but told Johnny that they were just distractions because the only thing he did, day after day was think about and miss Johnny. It was incredibly sweet.
Unfortunately, because of the job he does, he wasn’t able to write back or call Dex, and because he’s usually the one who stays behind so the rest of his crew can go be with their families, he wasn’t even going to get to see Dex either, so the letters were sweet and bittersweet…. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation, it takes a special kind of person to put everything on hold like that for our country. And Dex, so sweet and so so strong.
I adored this story, it has to be my favorite one yet… and of course, we get a little Christmas miracle, as did Dex… and maybe even a puppy… what more could you ask for?
5 stars from me on this one!
In this one, Johnny is on assignment with his unit, a mercenary group for the government. While he’s mostly been alone for the last almost decade and didn’t have a family to go home to like most on his team, this year was different. While on leave, he’d met Dex and though they’d only been together for a few months, he now had someone he was missing around the holilday season.
Not meaning to get bummed about not being able to see Dex, he kind of was… until he came in from patrol one evening a week before Christmas and saw a letter on his bed, with a festive sticker and the handwriting of his love back home. Every three days he was delivered a letter from Dex that spoke of how much he was missing Johnny and how he couldn’t wait until he got back home and they could make their own traditions. He went on about his days, but told Johnny that they were just distractions because the only thing he did, day after day was think about and miss Johnny. It was incredibly sweet.
Unfortunately, because of the job he does, he wasn’t able to write back or call Dex, and because he’s usually the one who stays behind so the rest of his crew can go be with their families, he wasn’t even going to get to see Dex either, so the letters were sweet and bittersweet…. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation, it takes a special kind of person to put everything on hold like that for our country. And Dex, so sweet and so so strong.
I adored this story, it has to be my favorite one yet… and of course, we get a little Christmas miracle, as did Dex… and maybe even a puppy… what more could you ask for?
5 stars from me on this one!
December 12, 2019
this was so adorably sweet.. it was a feel good military romance.. it made me tear up in spots.. i really enjoyed it and am so glad i read it. we had love.. sadness.. and christmas miracles.. along with the start of a sweet romance. i enjoyed it
December 13, 2019
Heartwarming as all hell, but I actually felt like the end, just the last couple of sentences, was a cop out.
December 12, 2019
This is such a feel good story. The trouble that Dex goes to to make Johnny's holiday a little bright set the stage. The part taken by his unit in making sure the surprises continued to come. This story has blend of romance and holiday magic that made it a great holiday read.
December 2, 2019
4.5 stars-Great holiday romance that captures the feelings of the season
I really enjoyed this short. Notes from Home brought all the warm fuzzies, focusing on holiday traditions and that desire to be close to the ones you love during the holiday season. Despite being written from a single point-of-view, the author's inclusion of Dex's letters to Johnny provided a secondary viewpoint and a well rounded depiction of the men's relationship and a chance to get to know both Dex and Johnny in a relatively short time. I definitely recommend this holiday story that showcases characters embarking on a new chapter of life and finding someone you yearn to come home to.
Reviewed by Annie from Alpha Book Club
I really enjoyed this short. Notes from Home brought all the warm fuzzies, focusing on holiday traditions and that desire to be close to the ones you love during the holiday season. Despite being written from a single point-of-view, the author's inclusion of Dex's letters to Johnny provided a secondary viewpoint and a well rounded depiction of the men's relationship and a chance to get to know both Dex and Johnny in a relatively short time. I definitely recommend this holiday story that showcases characters embarking on a new chapter of life and finding someone you yearn to come home to.
Reviewed by Annie from Alpha Book Club
November 17, 2024
2.5 stars
This was sweet, and I liked it, but it’s so damn short. I couldn’t even get a feel for the writing style to figure out if I want to try more from this author, which was kinda the whole reason I read it! But if you’re just looking for something cute, short, awww-inspiring and Christmas-flavored, this will work.
This was sweet, and I liked it, but it’s so damn short. I couldn’t even get a feel for the writing style to figure out if I want to try more from this author, which was kinda the whole reason I read it! But if you’re just looking for something cute, short, awww-inspiring and Christmas-flavored, this will work.
January 9, 2020
Johnny is deployed and he has no idea how Dex manages to send him notes, but these physical reminders of all he has waiting for him back at home help ease the pain of not being there for himself.
I absolutely loved this book and it has all the warmth and emotional feels that you could hope for. I have to give major kudos to the author – almost the entirety of this short story is told while Johnny is deployed, we only really hear from Dex through his letters and despite that disconnect I could really feel Dex’s presence throughout the whole story.
I found this really well written and I adored how deeply emotional it was. Johnny and Dex’s love – despite their having been together only a few months – really sang through each page and at no point did I feel like the story was one sided or uneven. While the ending was fairly predictable it left me with a warm smile and a really good warm-and-fuzzy feeling, which is what I personally want from any Christmas story.
Warm and lovely, this is a great quick read.
I absolutely loved this book and it has all the warmth and emotional feels that you could hope for. I have to give major kudos to the author – almost the entirety of this short story is told while Johnny is deployed, we only really hear from Dex through his letters and despite that disconnect I could really feel Dex’s presence throughout the whole story.
I found this really well written and I adored how deeply emotional it was. Johnny and Dex’s love – despite their having been together only a few months – really sang through each page and at no point did I feel like the story was one sided or uneven. While the ending was fairly predictable it left me with a warm smile and a really good warm-and-fuzzy feeling, which is what I personally want from any Christmas story.
Warm and lovely, this is a great quick read.
December 8, 2019
How in the world did this author squeeze so much emotion into just a few pages? The storytelling was exceptional and the emotions just pulled at your heartstrings... loved this one! Strangely enough, this is by far the best Christmas story I have read this year... sure didn't see that coming when I got it this morning!
December 9, 2019
Notes From Home by Dirk Greyson is a contemporary m/m romance with a holiday feel. This story is short and sweet...its about a soldier finds strength and warmth in the mysterious arrival of love letters from the man who waits for him back home.... the holiday season holds some surprises. Dex and Johnny made me smile. Loved it!
December 24, 2019
A really sweet little snippet of a holiday story but I needed more from this one. It felt a bit like reading an excerpt or a short preview but what was there was good. I would really love to have more of this one.
TAGS
-- Holiday/Christmas -- very sweet -- so romantic -- loved the MCs... Johnny & Dex -- would love more -- too short -- less than 25 pages
December 4, 2019
Fantastic read with a strong pulling on my heart strings...
Ms. Wood gave a perfect review, so I won't repeat same things.
Ms. Wood gave a perfect review, so I won't repeat same things.
December 13, 2019
3.5☆
Sweet short story
Sweet short story
Read
December 14, 2019review to follow
December 14, 2019
3.5/5. Super sweet!
June 28, 2020
3.5* for a crafty letter Homemade for the Holidays story.
Despite Dex and Johnny only being together right at the end, we definitely got the warm fuzzy vibes that I expected!
Despite Dex and Johnny only being together right at the end, we definitely got the warm fuzzy vibes that I expected!
Read
August 17, 2020First paragraph glorifies war and I couldn't.
December 19, 2020
Oh, I loved this one. Dex's letters conveyed all the love he felt for his missing man. Johnny's longing to be with him was tangible. The last chapter was perfect.
December 21, 2019
4.5 stars. The sweetest Christmas story ever. I wished it were longer.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews