Cover Image: Five and Dime Christmas

Five and Dime Christmas

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Member Reviews

Five and Dime Christmas is a sweet collection of historical novellas that are written by: Susanne Dietze; Patty Smith Hall; Cynthia Hickey; Christina Lorenzen. Each book is a sweet and quick read. I loved being transported back in time to 1881 to Woolworth's Five and Dime - and stories of their employees. Each book carries a strong Christmas theme. Thank you to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

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Do you have a favorite job or place your worked? One of my favorite jobs was working for the local dime store in my hometown as a teenager. It was a great place to work with a great boss, the late Mr. Soncrant. Mr. Soncrant and the dime store were immortalized in the children’s book Something About Hensley’s by Patricia Polacco. It’s neat to have a past job immortalized.

I was very excited to read a collection of four Christmas novellas set in in a five and dime store called Five and Dime Romance. All four stories were set in 1881 in a Woolworth’s store in Scranton Pennsylvania. Each story is about a different young woman that works at the store and her finding a true love. Different characters also find the true meaning of Christmas as well. I’m not going to break down a summary of each story, but I will say I loved each and every one of these four stories. I loved the historic setting, the characters, and the plot. There is just something about historic Christmas stories that I enjoy. They were clean, Christian romances. I would highly recommend this collection.

This is my last Christmas book for this year . . . although depending on the weather, I may yet read another one this winter.

Review Copy from Netgalley. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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What a delightful collection of Christmas stories. There are four included by a couple of authors that I am familiar with and a couple that I have never read before. (Isn't it fun to discover new authors?) The common thread that weaves through each of the stories is the department store. Besides that the characters are individual in each of the stories. I read a story each night and enjoyed them all. Highly recommend for the Christmas season.

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I really loved reading Five and Dime Christmas by Susanne Dietze, Patty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, and Christina Lorenzen! I am familiar with all of the Authors minus Ms. Lorenzen. Five and Dime Christmas is a 4 story anthology set at a local Woolworth’s Five and Dime. Each story tells the story of a girl that works in Woolworth’s Five and Dime and how they found love. I love how each of the stories intertwined with each other, which doesn’t always happen with anthologies. For me, Five and Dime Christmas is a fun, comforting read to read the Christmas season or any time. I highly recommended this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

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Four couples find love at Christmastime thanks to Woolworth's Five and Dime.

A Merry Little Christmas by Susanne Dietze

Hattie Scott tasks on a second job working as a secretary for the man compiling a report that could put her family's livelihood at risk.

An enjoyable Christmas romance, I loved how Hattie and Timothy bonded over their shared faith. Timothy is a kind and honorable man, I loved his heart for others, and how he was always offering to help others out.

A Home for Christmas by Patty Smith Hall

Essie wants to do more with her life than exist for society, so she takes a job at the Five and Dime, where she meets a minister who has taken in 6 orphan boys.

A heartwarming and sweet holiday read, I liked that Essie wanted to bless others with what she had been given. And Max is a wonderful man with a big heart. Such a cute story.

The Light of Christmas by Christina Lorenzen

A charming workplace romance.

Henry is determined to work his place up from the tool counter to the accounting offices of Woolworth's, while working the sales floor he meets Lizzie. Lizzie is working hard to keep her family home, can they overcome Henry's match making mother and their differing stations to find love?

I liked how so much of the story occurred within the walls of the store, bringing to life the hustle and bustle of the store at Christmastime. Henry is a driven and goal-oriented man, I liked how meeting Lizzie helped him to see things differently and imagine a new future.

Lunch with Maggie by Cynthia Hickey

After being left at the altar, Maggie Larson isn't sure if she will love again. She befriends a young girl and her widower father while working at Woolworth's lunch counter. Will she change her mind about love?

A sweet romance of second chances and hope at Christmas time. I liked how Seth was understanding and patient with Maggie, plus his daughter was super cute!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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1881 Scranton PA isn't far from where we live. I miss the old Woolworths store we had in our town. Always a great place to be. They always had what you needed. This book is great to read, with these authors it could be nothing less. Sweet Christian romances for four of the girls who work at the store, all with different circumstances and struggles, and four perfectly unique men who were meant to make their lives better. Easy to love each of them.
I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#FiveandDimeChristmas #NetGalley #ChristianHistoricalRomance #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Five and Dime Christmas is a collection of four historical romance novellas by authors Cynthia Hickey, Susanne Dietze, Patty Smith Hall, & Christina Lorenzen.

I love Christmas novellas and I especially love ones that are historical romances, so this collection was a wonderful read. I liked how all four stories took place at the same time, yet did not overlap and spoil one another.

It’s difficult to pick a favorite. I loved all four and the main characters in each. The four women who worked at the Five and Dime each had their own set of difficulties, from money troubles to physical limitations, but the women also had goals, which didn’t include a husband. Until four certain men entered their lives.

How everything worked out for the four women, you’ll have to read for yourselves. I highly recommend that you do! This was a delightful peek into the 1881 Five and Dime, and four of the women who worked there.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

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Four new-to-me authors took me back in time to the beginning of the Woolworth's Five and Dime stores in 1880's Scranton, Pennsylvania. Growing up, I remember these stores, and loved as a kid taking my pennies and shopping at them.

These four novellas each focused on one of the sales girls who were ahead of their time by taking a job outside of the home, and the romance they found through a customer/employee at the Woolworth Store. Filled with faith, fun, and romance, this was a thoroughly enjoyable series of novellas that each caught my attention.

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Five and Dime Christmas is my first new book of the holiday season. Great choice.

There are four novellas in the collection, all featuring employees of Woolworths Five and Dime store, in Scranton PA. The mark of a great novella, I think, is whether you wanted it to be a longer story. If finishing the story makes you glad, that’s never a good sign. Thankfully, in each case this time, I wanted to spend more time with the characters, observe their happily ever after in action.

I liked that the stories weren’t formulaic. All four were connected by the shop girls, but little else. We had a girl working two jobs because her family desperately needed the money, a wealthy young woman sneaking out to work without her family knowing. A shop girl who catches the eye of a wealthy man who has opted to earn a reputation outside of the family business. And the woman building a career after being jilted.

Four different sets of personalities, four different situations, all wonderful, faith-filled love stories.

So if you like short, festive stories, Five & Dime Christmas is a great collection to set your heart ready for the season of joy.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley. The opinions are my own.

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Yes - read it! Lovely read. Each story has great characters and all meld together wonderfully. I really enjoyed it has a precursor to the holiday season. Puts in the correct mood with a great story you can read in an evening.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to help prepare my honest review.

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hat a delightful way to start my Christmas reading. The stories all take place in a Woolworth's store and just touch that holiday spirit of the season. Each was different but each had that family, faith and Christmas connection.
I received a copy through NetGalley, my opinion and review is voluntary.

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Each story in this book were very well done. I just wish that the authors had tied the characters together more.
I also wish that Author Patti Smith Hall had added an Epilogue to her story as I really wanted to know what happened next.

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These 4 romances are all set in the same time frame and the same place. They go together, which I like. They're set in Scranton, PA, and I actually lived near there for a few years! Anyone who likes historical romance, set around Christmas time, will enjoy this book!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy. All opinions expressed are entirely my own!

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4 novella length Christmas type historical romance clean fiction stories based in the 1880’s as women employees of Woolworth’s Department store in Scranton, PA find love.
Having grown up in Pennsylvania and still living here I was tickled to see a book revolving around Woolworth’s Department store five and dime that I vividly remember going to as a child. It wasn’t the Scranton location but one of Pittsburgh, PA areas.


Each of the four stories is by a different author and a delight to read. We follow the lives of the co-workers and how they meet their perspective mates. Uplifting Christmas time stories. I enjoyed seeing the bible verses in this clean read. This old fashioned style book has a magical feel to it and a wonderful Christmas vibe.

Pub Date 01 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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This book features a collection of stories set at Christmas time. The stories are tied together by the occupations of the main characters: each woman works at the Woolworth Five and Dime store in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The stories describe the struggles each woman encounters in trying to meet the needs and expectations of family while also trying to attain her own goals and independence. The stories focus on the true meaning of Christmas, on helping and giving to others.

These are clean stories without violence, strong language, or explicit sexual scenes. The Christian message is clear and overt. This story collection definitely gets readers in the spirit of Christmas while providing a reminder of the true Christmas meaning and message of the birth of Jesus. Readers who enjoy family friendly stories with a Christian theme will find these a welcome addition to the literature of the Season.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cozy, charming, heartwarming Christmas book that really put me in a Christmas mood (which is saying a lot, since it's only October!)

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I practically devoured this sweet historical romance. The stories all centered around Woolworths, the four young women who work there and the Christmas season.
It’s a fast read that made me want to know more about the characters, the young men who they would meet and how their lives would turn out while fulfilling their job duties,
It was a favorite of mine and made me look forward to the upcoming season.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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Who doesn’t love a good Christmas story? There’s just something about Christmas that is so magical and wonderful and lovely. These historical novellas captured the spirit the season beautifully. Charming and heartwarming, fun and clean, these stories sure to lift your mood and get you in the Christmas spirit.

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This collection is a delightfully connected set of stories. They each stand alone, but the same few character names appear in each one, and all of them revolve around the Woolworth Five and Dime. I highly recommend this sweet collection of stories set at Christmas. Grab a blanket, a cozy drink, and snuggle up with these stories.

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The nostalgic novellas of Five and Dime Christmas tug on the heartstrings and transport us to the golden heydays of the five and dime stores in the 1880s.

Four uplifting and endearing tales written by four excellent authors take us back into days of yore and to Christmases past.

One young woman's experience working for F. W. Woolworth is the focus and center of each tale. The individual novellas begin with a Bible verse pointing to the essence and main idea of the story, bringing in the religious element, which is much appreciated. The young women work in various departments of the store, providing us with information on each section. The details of Christmas provide the big red bow on top!

Five and Dime Christmas by Suzanne Dietze, Patty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey and Christina Lorenzen is a great story to set the mood for Christmas. All you need is to curl up in your favorite chair with hot chocolate and dream of yesteryear!

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

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