Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the daughter of an Army drill sergeant, widow of an Air Force veteran, granddaughter, niece, and cousin to veterans who served during both World Wars, in Vietnam, and beyond. I am a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. One of my grandfathers suffered from PTSD and I’ll never forget a moment in my childhood when during a family picnic to welcome home my cousin from Vietnam, a car backfired in the street, and he dived under a picnic table for cover since days earlier he’d been in a war zone. I’ve visited VA hospitals where bitter veterans taunted each other for being a “cripple” and broke my heart.


I wrote

At Face Value

By Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy,

Book cover of At Face Value

What is my book about?

At Face Value isn’t a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast although there are some similarities.…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Saving Jake

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did I love this book?

Saving Jake made me cry in places and warmed my heart in others. Sharon Sala (one of my favorite authors) handled this troubled veteran’s homecoming with skill and accuracy.

As Jake returns to his hometown to heal, he also finds love and a way to triumph over a bully from his past. I have a soft spot for veterans with PTSD because my late grandfather, Claude Roberts, suffered from it, long before it had a name or diagnosis. It made his life more difficult than should have been necessary, but he still loved his little granddaughter, “the kid” as he called me, very much.

Saving Jake made me cry in places and warmed my heart in others. Sharon Sala (one of my favorite authors) handled this troubled veteran’s homecoming with skill and accuracy. As Jake returns to his hometown to heal, he also finds love and a way to triumph over a bully from his past. 

I have a soft spot for veterans with PTSD because my late grandfather, Claude Roberts, suffered from it, long before it had a name or diagnosis. It made his life more difficult than should have been necessary, but he still loved his little granddaughter, “the kid” as he called me, very much.

By Sharon Sala,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Saving Jake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A USA Today Bestseller!

"Sharon Sala is a consummate storyteller. Her skills shine in her Blessings, Georgia series. If you can stop reading then you're a better woman than me."―DEBBIE MACOMBER, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Welcome to Blessings, Georgia, the best small town in the South!

There is always hope as long as you can come home

After eight years in the Marines, Jacob Lorde returns to Blessings, Georgia, with no plans other than to hole up in his empty house and heal what's left of his soul. But with a charming next door neighbor and a town…


Book cover of Five Years Gone

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did I love this book?

This ranks as one of the best books I’ve read. It cut me to the heart, brought tears, and yet brought hope.

It’s a complicated story about a woman who waited years for the man she loved. Then she moved on and is about to marry a new love, Eric, when John returns. He dreamed of Ava during his captivity and thought they would pick up where they left off but it doesn’t happen. She’s forced to make a terrible, gut-wrenching decision and must live with it.

But the story ends with hope for John and the future and there’s a follow-up story called One Year Back that continues the story. Although Ava’s not a widow, she felt like one and as a widow, that resonated with me.

By Marie Force,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Five Years Gone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The most brazen terrorist attack in history. A country bent on revenge. A love affair cut short. A broken heart that never truly heals.


Ava

I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone. That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a…


Book cover of Small Town Rumors

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did I love this book?

When Carolyn Brown writes about small-town life and the people who live there, she brings it to life with such reality the reader feels you know them.

When Jennie Sue Baker returns from New York after a failed marriage, she wants to hide and lick her wounds, then convince her father to let her work in the family oil business. Instead, she finds new friends who aren’t from her parents’ social circle including a reclusive farmer who is also a scarred veteran. Rick is very sensitive about his appearance although most of the physical scars don’t show but Jennie manages to break down the barriers.

This book caught me by the heartstrings because I live in a small town and I know how public opinion can turn for or against a person very well.

By Carolyn Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Small Town Rumors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown comes a funny heartache of a novel about overcoming the past, confronting the future, and defying all expectations.

Everyone is talking about Jennie Sue Baker and the mess she made of her life in New York. The former high school queen bee-and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas-has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie's fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight.…


Book cover of The Soldier's Refuge

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did I love this book?

This is the most recent of the books I’ve picked, just released in May 2023. When I read the jacket blurb, I knew I’d have to read it since it was another story about a troubled veteran suffering from PTSD and a woman forced by circumstances to return to her hometown.

I like second-chance romance stories and that’s an element here, along with Jax’s PTSD issues. He’s isolated himself from most people except a few family members, but some old sparks ignite when Natalie returns home. Jax needs to find some forgiveness and redemption before he can move forward and that’s where Natalie comes in.

By Sabrina York,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Soldier's Refuge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When two friends rediscover one another…

It might be for keeps.

Natalie Tuttle fled her hometown—and its humiliations—for big-city life. When she must return after her mother falls ill, the last person she wants to see is Jaxon Stringfellow, the onetime friend who shattered her heart. But military veteran Jax is so much more than the boy he once was. And he’s coming to terms with his own demons. Can Nat grant him the forgiveness he seeks…and so much more?

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

The Tuttle Sisters of Coho Cove

Book 1: The…


Book cover of Don't Back Down

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Why did I love this book?

This novel begins with a chance, intimate encounter five years earlier that has lasting importance for both Cameron Pope and Rusty Caldwell.

When they met, they didn’t even exchange names and he was a soldier about to be deployed. Now, she’s a federal agent and he’s returned home to his native Kentucky hoping to lead a simple, healing life. Instead, a kidnapping affects his family and Cam is thrust into the action. When Rusty arrives, the “soldier boy” has found his “angel” again.

It’s a fast-paced, exciting adventure but there’s a developing love between the two main characters. For me, it’s that second shot at love, that hope in the face of hopelessness, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my chair.

By Sharon Sala,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Don't Back Down as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

He barely has time to catch his breath...

Army veteran Cameron Pope arrives back in Jubilee, Kentucky, for the first time in years. He barely has time to catch his breath when he becomes embroiled in a race of life or death for his little niece and a deadly hunt for the human traffickers who are destroying the peace of his mountain town. When he's reunited with Rusty Caldwell—a woman from his past he's never stopped thinking about—he wants to believe they can finally be together. But Rusty belongs to one of the rich families in Jubilee—the same rich folks…


Explore my book 😀

At Face Value

By Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy,

Book cover of At Face Value

What is my book about?

At Face Value isn’t a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast although there are some similarities. Nicholas, the hero, scarred by a roadside bomb incident during his service in Afghanistan as a United States Marine, has retreated from life as much as possible.  His young niece calls him ‘Uncle Beast’.  When fate drops Maribel Barbier into his life, he learns she prefers to be called “Belle so even Nicholas sees the connection. At Face Value is the story of one man’s struggles with his appearance and his post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a story about the power of love and t challenges of life.

Love and redemption are timeless themes that will never go out of style.

You might also like...

After Me

By J. Shep,

Book cover of After Me

J. Shep Author Of The December Issue

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

J.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

"an intense narrative of family and intangible inheritance. . .this novel unfolds like a fragrant, steeped tea." -Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 Stars

"like a glorious sunrise, we are gifted the 'après,' the hope and goodness of 'after me.'" -Maria Giuseppa, author of R&R:  A Feast of Words

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago. 

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their…

After Me

By J. Shep,

What is this book about?

A man in France receives a package from America containing an autobiographical manuscript relating the events of a summer long ago.

When Ellande and Madeleine-Grace visit the family summer house on the Alabaster Coast of Normandy for the first time without their parents, they find themselves growing aware of the importance of their parents' choices in raising them. Under the care of their beloved Aunt Adèle, they explore their heritage and what their parents stood for while determining the value of customs and traditions of both family and France's stunning Pays de Caux. In the face of cruelty, carelessness, and…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in romantic love, veterans, and PTSD?

Romantic Love 938 books
Veterans 90 books
PTSD 104 books