Scarred Santa - Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy (Clean Reads - Nov 2016)

His Persian Gulf service as a Marine left Rafe Sullivan wounded and scarred. His return to civilian life has proved difficult at best. He's quit more jobs than most people ever hold in a lifetime and he's become a near recluse. Although he interacts with his widowed mother and his brother's family, Rafe lives lonely.

A chance glance at a beautiful woman at a church dinner leads to another encounter. Sheena Dunmore comforts him during a PTSD moment and because of her, he accepts a job playing Santa Claus at the mall for the holiday season. Being Santa offers many challenges but as Rafe grows closer to Sheena, he finds it easier and easier to overcome them. Rafe falls in love but he soon decides it's best if he backs away so Sheena can meet someone better. He realizes his mistake but must face his greatest fear of all – fire – or there may not be a chance for a new beginning with Sheena.

Terrific Christmas story. Rafe tugged at my heart from the very first pages. He has been through so much with multiple deployments and ending with being badly injured. Though he has recovered physically, the scars he has are emotional as well as physical. The reactions that some people have to his scars eat away at his self-confidence. Every job he's had since returning ends when something runs up against those insecurities. Though he spends time with his family, he even keeps them at a distance. I loved how they kept trying to involve him in family life. I liked his brother's end-run around Rafe's reluctance to go out and got him to help their mother with a doctor appointment.

I ached for Rafe when he experienced a PTSD event at the mall. He was stunned when a woman he noticed at church sat beside him and helped him through the episode. He is amazed that she doesn't react to his scars. Shortly after that, Rafe's brother Mike informs him that he's gotten Rafe a job working as the mall Santa for the holidays. Rafe is reluctant at first but discovers that he can be a little bit more of the old Rafe behind Santa's beard. One of the benefits of being Santa is the chance to get to know Sheena better.

I loved watching the relationship develop between Rafe and Sheena. She can sense when he is having difficulty, and her calm, sweet manner has a soothing effect on him. I liked seeing them get to know each other over shared lunches. Sheena's belief in him helped Rafe shore up his confidence as he handled the trials and tribulations of being a mall Santa. I loved how she looked out for him on the rough days and her rescue on a horrible one. One incident could have gone very badly for Rafe, but thanks to Sheena's support and that of a pint-sized wingman, Rafe came through it beautifully.

It didn't take long for Rafe to believe that he could have the family he yearned for after all. I loved watching him slowly open his heart to love and hope. It was also easy to see that Sheena felt the same. But a resurgence of Rafe's insecurities caused him to push her away. I ached for them both and liked seeing Sheena push back. Fortunately, Rafe didn't take long to realize he was wrong. However, he had to face one of his greatest fears before he could fix his mistake. I loved the Christmas morning scene and the surprise he had for Sheena.