DNF @ 14%

I'm really sad to say, that this one didn't work for me.

I've read a lot of Sara Richardson in my time reviewing, but this one had a set of tropes that just didn't work for me. The guilt and angst over the two main characters sleeping together was overdramatic in my eyes. If it had been a fresh death, then maybe I could go along with that. It's been 2 years, and at this point, they had naturally grown close. Feeling some guilt I could believe, but this was just too much.

I'm sad this one didn't work, but it won't stop me from reading this author. I've loved a lot of her other works, so this one was an it's me, not the book problem.

I read this book as a stand alone easily as the author provided all the required back story from the first book. Tess is a military widow with two young daughters and after her husband, Jace, was killed in action, her brother Aiden and her husband's other two best friends, all left the SEALS to help save her ranch in Star Valley. Two years later, Aiden is engaged and Tess is starting to have feelings for Silas, Jace's best friend. Both are conflicted, because of loyalty to Jace, but he only wanted Tess to be happy. So they struggle through their feelings, while also trying to save a herd of wild horses. The characters are nice as is the story. There is also a bonus novella included.

I read an ARC proved by the publisher via NetGalley.com. This I say unbiased and voluntary review.

Heartwarming romantic journey filled with engaging charters, intriguing story line, witty banter, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Really enjoyed this emotional and exciting journey! Highly entertaining, emotional and exciting journey!

Tess lost her husband in a military mission and has had to learn to handle everything from raising their daughters to running their ranch on her own. She's had help with that thanks to her husband's best friends and her brother. She's come to realize that she's become attracted and relies a great deal on Silas. The feelings are returned but when there's a lack of communication on each person's part, his old feelings of not being enough come back and then there's also the fact that he's in love with his best friend's widow and concerns about how that will be perceived as well as how the girls will feel about that. Seeing how it's all dealt with keeps you turning pages. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy is the second title in the Star Valley series. I love returning to Sara Richardson’s worlds, and I’m enjoying this series so much, especially when the storyline in this romance also includes advocacy for wild horses, a subject that has fascinated me for years. It’s one of those issues that I can see the point of view of both sides on this subject, but I’ll always come down on the side of the wild horses.

Tess is ready to face life without her husband, who died in military action. It’s been about two years, and she’s allowed herself to grieve; she’ll never forget her husband, but it is time to move ahead. She has a ranch to run, daughters to raise and wild horses who roam her property to protect. And her husband’s best friend to spark an attraction that is perhaps unexpected but certainly not going to be denied. She’s asked Silas for help with the wild horses situation, for she’s found something that is just for her; a powerful need to protect those wild horses and find out who is trying to destroy them.

Silas and his friends have always looked after Tess and her kids since returning home. Yes, they lost a good man on that SEAL mission, and he lost his best friend. So, of course, he was going to help Tess in any way that he could… while fighting an attraction that he shouldn’t be feeling toward the widow of his friend.

I enjoyed this story for many reasons, but I loved Tess for her strength and her determination to continue to live her life. Yes, she’s a widow with children to raise. Yet she’s also a woman who can and does find love again. No man will ever replace her husband, but Silas can be loved for his own unique self as well. I guess that’s why I’ve never gotten the “bro code” thing. It’s possible to love more than one person in a lifetime, and I was so glad to see her take control of her life, go after the advocacy for the wild horses on her own, and love a man who would understand her deceased husband’s place in her heart for he also resided in Silas’ heart as well.

Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy is a well-written, engaging, emotional romance with bursts of tears and laughter spread throughout. I had fun here, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next visit to the Star Valley series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

The h is a widow living on a ranch with her two daughters. The H was a seal and best friends with her dead husband. The h finds a wild horse that has been wounded by gunshots. She organizes a group of townspeople to help find the people who shot the horse. She has hopes of starting a sanctuary for wild horses. The H feels like he can’t compete with the memories of his best friend and the h’s husband.
I received a n ARC from net galley

When everything changes in the blink of an eye and the man you always thought you would spend your life with doesn’t come home from a mission. When his friends arrive with a letter telling you he is gone and that he wants you to learn to love again, to fall in love again, to live a happy life with a new man, to raise your children with a different man. How does one go on?

One day at a time and with a man you never knew you could love.

I thought this was an okay story but I really would have enjoyed more depth and emotion. There was a huge lack of angst!

📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this #book from Forever - Grand Central Publishing - via #Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher/author for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄 @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub @HachetteUS
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A*R*C for honest review with no compensation Received from NetGalley, Forever 4.5 stars

Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy is book 2 in the Star Valley series by Sara Richardson and Silas Beck and Tessa Valdez’s story.

Back to Star Valley, our 3 Navy Seals, their help with Aiden (book 1) sister’s ranch after the death of her husband a couple years earlier and the guys other best friend they lost on their last mission.


Showing support, hidden feelings, being off limits, earning the trust of Tessa’s daughters and so much more…can’t wait for Lyric and Thatch’s book!

Tess lost her husband on the battlefield and now she is working at raising her two daughters and the ranch. Salis Beck ex-Navy Seal feels the pain for Tess and wishes he was the one that died on the battlefield that day and not his friend. Now working on her ranch helping her and with some other friends in the area he always wants to do more. So when someone shoots one of the wild mustangs he helps Tess with the care and also with starting to look out for who the person or persons could be. Of course, the more time they spend together has now really kicked up the feelings he has had for Tess which he feels guilty for until she also has feelings for him as well. That is when the story really changes and you begin to really see Salis and his childhood and the way he is. This is a wonderful story and really good characters, with a good ending.

Tess is a widow who lost her husband, Jace, a couple years ago. Her focus has been on her kids and the ranch. Silas was Jace's friend and fellow SEAL who has been in town to help Tess out. There is chemistry and a connection between them, and I was curious seeing how their relationship would develop.

Sara did a nice job creating interesting characters and a romance that made me root for their HEA. I also liked the bit of mystery/suspense plot. It added nicely to the story and didn't feel out of place or like it overshadowed the romance. This is a great addition to the Star Valley series and I can't wait for the next book!

As much as I love the characters in this story, from the main characters to their friends and townsfolk, there was something that didn’t work for me in this story the way this author’s books usually do. Part of it was the timeline seemed off, but I can’t help but wonder if I just wasn’t in the right mood for this story or if it was something with how it was put together.

Tess is a very strong woman. Her spouse died in combat a few years previously and her brother and two of his buddies, who were on the same SEAL team as her husband, moved near her to help her with the kids and her ranch. After much grief, Tess has pulled herself up and gotten back to living life. That includes starting to have romantic thoughts again.

Silas has fallen for Tess but keeps that close to the vest. He doesn’t feel it’s appropriate and doesn’t think he’s good enough for her anyway. Yet everyone around Silas knows he’s a great man and would be a wonderful romantic partner and a great influence on Tess’s kids. There is so much yearning in this story as both characters have a lot of guilt over these feelings that are deepening more and more every day.

Along with the taut atmosphere between Tess and Silas, there is a bit of a mystery in this story. It involves wild horses and a town divided on how they should be handled. This spills over onto Tess’ property and causes some dangerous situations.

All in all, this is a good story. It has an interesting storyline and wonderful characters. Yet the pacing felt off and it just didn’t keep me engaged as much as I would have hoped. I’d still recommend this story to those who enjoy contemporary romance with a brother’s/deceased husband’s best friend. (That was a weird thing to type but I call it as it is.) The characters had a spark and I was rooting for them to work out their insecurities to have a future together.

Wild horses have been in the news a lot of late and for that reason alone this is a must read. Tess and Silas’s journey’s mirror that of the horses and are a delightful pair. Richardson has written another winner.

Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy by Sara Richardson is an uncomplicated romance between a widow, Tess, and a friend of her dead husband, Silas. Silas, her brother, Aiden, and Mitch had been teammates of of Jace during his time as a SEAL and had been there when he died. He had asked that they take care of Tess and their girls so they had resigned and come home to Star Valley, Her brother, Aiden, was engaged and very happy. Mitch as at loose ends, as usual, and Silas kept to himself, but he was always there, helping, her and everyone else. On the night of Aiden and Kyra’s engagement party, a relative of Jace’s had been rude and Tess was out on the terrace, crying, when Silas came and hugged her. She felt instantly better, but then she kissed him and soon was begging him to take her upstairs. What had she done? She’d enjoyed herself, but she had betrayed her husband. She snuck back to her ranch the next day.

So often misplaced loyalties can be the source of much heartbreak. Both Tess and Silas felt they had betrayed Jace. The fact that he was dead didn’t matter, nor the fact that he had written her a good-bye letter in case the worse happened, and in it he told her to love again. It was awkward for a while, then came they day they discovered a wild horse that had been shot in the face. Luckily it had missed his brain and after walking him back to the ranch, Tess was able to take care of the wound. Silas became that horse’s best friend, and he hers. Tess was a good mother and a hard-working rancher. She had been a good wife to Jace. Silas had always been a man who didn’t commit. It had to do with his childhood and a mother who didn’t want him. In so many ways they were perfect for each other, if only they could figure it out. Their friends watched the drama unfold, supportive. Just the kind of light-hearted read I needed. Good characters and good story.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ForeverGrandCentralPublishing #SaraRichardson #BettingOnAGoodLuckCowboy

3.75stars—BETTING ON A GOOD LUCK COWBOY is the second instalment in Sara Richardson’s contemporary, adult STAR VALLEY romance series. This is US Navy SEAL Silas Beck, and widow/single mother/rancher Tess Valdez’ story line. BETTING ON A GOOD LUCK COWBOY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Tess and Silas) BETTING ON A GOOD LUCK COWBOY follows in the aftermath of the death of Tess Valdez’ husband. Two years earlier, while serving with Afghanistan, Tess’ husband Jace, was killed on duty. HIs best friends and fellow SEALs, Tess’ brother Aiden, Silas and Thatch returned home to open their own construction business, in an effort to remain close to our story line heroine. Fast forward to present day, Silas and Tess act on their attraction but Tess wants to keep their relationship on the down low, and Silas’ refuses to be Tess’ dirty little secret. Meanwhile, someone has been shooting at a herd of wild horses, injuring one of the beauties in the process. With the hope of uncovering the person responsible, Tess makes it her mission to bring justice to the horses only to discover the guilty party maybe someone she knows. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Tess and Silas, and the potential fall-out when Silas believes he is not good enough, and re-enlists for another tour.

The relationship between Silas and Tess is one of mutual attraction but Silas struggles to date the widow of his former best friend. Tess wants nothing more than to move on with her life-her daughters love Silas, and Tess knows that Silas would be the perfect man to raise her family but Silas continues to struggle with the loss of his friend, and the guilt of falling in love with his best friend’s wife. The $ex scenes are all implied.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Aiden and Kyra (Waiting on a Christmas Cowboy 1), Kyra’s best friend Lyric, Tess’ daughters Willow and Morgan; Brad Kline and his daughter Callie, as well as a number of other ranchers and townsfolk. There may be something developing between Lyric and Thatch.

BETTING ON A GOOD LUCK COWBOY is a story of loss and grief, acceptance and forgiveness, happiness and love. The premise is entertaining and emotional; the romance is subtle and passionate; the characters are struggling but determined.



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Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy is an easy and breezy cowboy romp that you can’t help but enjoy.

Don’t you love it when you start a book and sink right into its story? While reading this book, I found the world around me just disappearing, and I ended up reading most of this book in one sitting. If you are a cowboy romance fan, you will want to add this one to your collection. This is one of those romances where you know roughly the journey the two main characters are going to take, and you know what the ending will look like, and for me, that isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes I love reading books that don’t require anything from me. I can sit there and read without over-analyzing what is happening in the book. Betting on the Good Luck Cowboy is one of those books that you can just read and enjoy a really good romance story.

I loved being on Tess’s farm and spending time with the horses there. Sara did a great job at painting this lush and vibrant setting, and it had me wanting to grab my cowboy boots and head out into the country. The characters are all wonderful, and it was easy to connect with them. I love Tess and her journey of learning to live again after losing her husband. At the beginning of the book, Tess knows she is ready to get back out there and even start dating again, but it’s hard when some feel she should still be playing the role of the grieving widow.

The romance between Tess and Silas is a wonderful mix of friends to lovers, forbidden romance, and even a little bit of second chances. These two have an unexpected one-night stand at the beginning of the book. They both agree it was a mistake and pretend it will never happen again. The only problem is that Tess and Silas have had these growing feelings for each other, and they are finding it harder and harder to just be friends. I like everything about these two. There was enough tension and chemistry to keep me interested, and I believe these two would make a great couple.

Betting on the Good Luck Cowboy is a heartwarming romance.

Thank you, Forever Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Tess and Silas' story. Opening yourself up to love after the devastating death of your husband is never easy. The author explores and explains the conflicting emotions of both Silas and Tess.

Silas was her first husband Jace's best friend . He along with Aiden (Tess's brother) and Thatch were in the same SEAL unit when the accident happened that claimed Jace's life. They all supported she and her 2 daughter's with their ranch and stepped up to replace Jace. When Silas and Tess realize the friendship is evolving into more intense feelings, they have to decide if the gamble is worth it. Can Tess love again knowing the depth of pain when a loss occurs? Will her daughters accept Silas as their mother's love interest and possibly their Dad in the future?

When the wild horses are threatened this in turn threatens Tess and her daughters. Silas does everything in his power to "protect his girls". An uplifting story of love, family, redemption and second chances.

Although I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

These types of stories can always be a little bit tricky but Sara Richardson did the widowed military wife/surviving best friend trope well. I like that she didn't draw out the will they or won't they aspect of Silas & Tess's attraction. Did they second guess it, sure, but who wouldn't? I like that they were both pretty honest with each other about their feelings throughout the story, even though they had trouble telling their friends and family, I didn't feel like that was too drawn out either. I loved how big of a role Morgan & Willow played in their story and how careful they were with their feelings about the changes their relationship would bring but also how Tess wasn't going to let their being upset or scared stop her from pursuing it.

Overall, this was a great addition to this series and I'm looking forward to the next book, which I'm hoping will be Thatch & Lyric's story.

*I received an early copy from NetGalley for voluntary, honest review

I love contemporary romances and especially those set in small towns so I was excited when Forever sent me
Betting on a Good Luck Cowboy by Sara Richardson.

Cowboy Romances in a small town. I don't need to say anymore 🤣 This is a romance between Tess who is running the ranch that was her deceased husband's dream and Silas his best friend and former SEAL who promised to help take care of his best friends family. I loved the town of Star Valley and can't wait for the Lyric and Thatcher book!

I read the earlier book in the series but this can be read as a standalone. There is nothing I like better than reading a small town romance especially in the summer. Mass market contemporary romance are always a great go to when I want something cute, a little more Hallmarky and a book reset as I know exactly what I'm going to be reading. This was fun to read and perfect for sitting out on the deck!

It comes out tomorrow - June 6th and is great to put in your beach or pool bag if you're looking for a cute small town romance!

This was a sweet story. I really liked Tess. She seemed like a strong woman, fighting for what she believed in. Her story was tragic but she had such a great support system.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a Small Town Cowboy Romance, and this is the second book in the Star Valley series. I have read the first book in this series before picking up this book. I did like the characters in this book, but I did not love the characters. I overall found this book good. This is not a book I will remember for a long time. It is not a bad book, and I enjoyed my time reading it. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Forever) or author (Sara Richard) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.