Yea if you like LOTR they are easier to find and a bit cheaper than SM so you may as well go for that if it is what you truly want. I love SM but it is a much different game than LOTR. If you get LOTR and your kids don't like it you can simply see which they like and that can be a future pin.
Other fun games that the whole family may like would be WH20, TSPP, & TOTAN. Good luck on your search.