I love cowboy romances. Soooo good. This one was really good. It made me smile and feel all the emotions.

Thach wants to compete in rodeo, and he needs to improve his scores. He asks Lyric for help, he'll do anything to improve scores, even yoga. Nothing comes for free, so she asks him for a favor.
They've attracted to each other for a while, but Lyric swore off men after her divorcee.
All the time spend together bring that attraction up.
I enjoyed the storyline.

Counting on a Cowboy By Sara Richardson is an engaging story about two people who don’t want to fall in love, Thatch and Lyric. Thatch is an ex-SEAL, which explains a lot, but his fiancee had fallen in love with his brother while he was gone, and married him, so he had some trust issues. He missed the adrenaline rush of being a SEAL so he was practicing to become a bronc rider. His coach didn’t know what to tell him to get him over the hump so he recommended he try yoga. Great! The yoga teacher was Lyric who had told him she wasn’t interested months before. She was a woman who was recovering from abuse at the hands of her then-husband. Both had secrets, but being thrown together like this was breaking down their walls. In addition, Lyric had seen what she though was abusive behavior at the hands of a young man named Franco, toward one of her students, Elina. She interfered and they both resented it. She enlisted Thatch to get to know the young man and help her figure it out.

Both of these are really good characters, strong, and yet, vulnerable. They tried to work it out in many ways, and nearly did before Lyric reached a breaking point. For a SEAL and a bronc rider, Thatch was a patient and forgiving man and he gave Lyric all the space she needed to come to him on her own. It was kind of heart wrenching to watch. Lyric ended up confronting her ex and it cleaned away some of the cobwebs. This was a wonderful book, with several contemporary problems addressed. The whole of Star Valley is filled with interesting and generous characters who just want to help. It is a very positive read. Thanks Sara Richardson for giving it to us!

I was invited to read Counting on A Cowboy by by Forever (Grand Central Publishing). All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ForeverGrandCentralPublishing #SaraRichardson #CountingOnACowboy

I’d like to make a match with Thatch. A former Navy SEAL and now cowboy, who began as a midwestern farm boy checks all of my hotness requirements.
Thatch wants to make a match with Lyric but she’s afraid and determined not to fall into another bad situation. Silly woman, anyone can tell Thatch is a quality guy.
The fake dating trope is used and of course magic ensues.
I love that he falls first because I like it when strong alpha men become tamed.
I love Richardson’s books!

Thatch and Lyric are a perfect fit. I haven't read the other books in this series and was able to fully enjoy this book. The characters have a lot of baggage that the other doesn't know even though they have been friends for a while. I loved how their relationship developed and how they began to trust each other with the pain from their pasts. I've read other books by this author and I enjoyed this one as much as her others. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Counting on a Cowboy by Sara Richardson
Star Valley series #3. Contemporary western romance. Can be read as a stand-alone but better as part of the series. Couples from the previous books play roles and attends a few different events. Conclusion to the series.
Retired SEAL Thatch Hearst moved to Star Valley four years ago with a couple of his teammates. He wants to earn some extra money bull riding in the big leagues. His trainer tells Thatch he’s not moving with the bull so he enlists the help of a local yoga instructor to help him learn to bend and move. Thatch has been interested in Lyric for a while but after being turned down twice, he’s kept his distance. He will make it clear he is looking for her professional help and maybe she will relax a little around him

Lyric Valenza has worked with difficult clients in the past so Thatch should be just another appointment on her calendar. She’s definitely not getting involved with another cowboy. But the handsome man is really trying to understand and listen to Lyric that she can’t help being charmed. Just a little bit. When he helps break up an argument between two teens, Lyric impulsively claims they are dating and suddenly it’s all around town.

I liked that Thatch wasn’t at all comfortable lying to their mutual friends. He also arranges to get the teen a job just because Lyric asked. He’s supportive and a hard worker. He’s willing to stay in the background until he needs to step up.
I didn’t care for Lyric’s bossy attitude all the time. She’s been hurt in the past so I understand her trying to protect the female teen based on her own experiences. But think they were too soft on a “borrowing” situation.
I loved the whole town acting together to help the family in need.
Plenty of steam and appreciation for the group dynamics of friends.
Great romantic ending and epilogue.
3.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Counting on a Cowboy. Star Valley Book 3 is a small-town cowboy romance. Sara Richardson’s main characters include retired Navy SEAL Thatch Hearst now bronc rider and yoga instructor, Lyric Valenza. This book deals with some serious relationship issues that happened in the past but are still very much affecting the characters. It is an emotional heart tugging book at times which shows the unwarranted shame that some victims have. Which I can think of no other reason that Lyric did not seek professional help for herself.

Of the two, Thatch is the easily to like, having made a solid transition from military to civilian life. He may not have always thought so but his life, actions and attitude show that he has. As the story progresses it is clear he is after more than just “fake dating”.

A cowboy romance where the good guy gets the girl, the right girl this time. Would read well as a stand-alone but fans of small-town romance will want to read the entire series.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review contains spoilers. Please proceed accordingly.

What I liked:

🤠 The FMC has a husky named Amos
🤠 All of the men in this story are clearly very in love and devoted to their wives.
🤠 There is a very tight-knit community in this story that takes care of one another. Without too many spoilers, it was great to see how they rallied around a teen in need.
🤠 Kyra and Tess seem like cool girls I would like to hang out with as friends.

What I did not enjoy (deep breath):

🤠 The writing in this book is the epitome of "telling" not "showing." Everything is laid out verbatim in the characters' inner monologues and in my opinion way too early.
🤠 The premise of this book is our FMC Lyric will be coaching our MC Thatch through yoga sessions in order for him to be a successful bronco rider. We see very little of these sessions in the book and the amount of weird secrecy around Thatch taking yoga is ridiculous, and often misogynistic.
🤠 Lyric states with her whole chest over and over that she doesn't think she wants to get married again based on her abusive past. She wants to date casually and feel freedom of choice. All of a sudden she is shown as wanting to have babies and immediately proposed to Thatch within a few months?
🤠 I don't believe these two together. It is stated at the beginning that these two are avoiding being in love with each other but I don't believe the author provided any evidence for why they feel that way. I will give the benefit of the doubt that maybe it is shown in previous books in the series, but I certainly do not believe these two within the confines of this story.
🤠 In no uncertain terms should it be written that it is a safe choice to go and confront a physically abusive ex. Nor should it be implied countless times that she was "avoidant" or "didn't get closure" because she had to leave for her safety!! When a man breaks your arm and has beaten you on numerous occasions, having to sneak out and run away was HER SAVING HER OWN LIFE. If your friends are keeping you safe, they are not putting you in the path of a violent ex.

Counting on a Cowboy is the third book in Sara Richardson’s Star Valley series. Retired Navy SEALs Silas Beck, Thatcher Hearst, and Aiden Steele moved to Star Valley after they separated from the service to help the widow of their fallen comrade Jace Valdez. In the years since they have formed their company Cowboy Construction and both Silas and Aiden have found their forever with Tess and Kyra. (Books 1 and 2 in the series)

Having suffered great betrayal in the past, Thatch has chosen a single life as has yoga instructor Lyric Valenza after surviving an abusive relationship. These two wounded people are brought together to help each other, coming up with a story that they are dating. It isn’t lack of attraction that keeps them apart, it is the wounds from their lives before. But as they work to help a pair of troubled teens, the relationship they do forge become blurred.

This is a sweet story that examines some very serious issues such as abusive relationships, neglect, and betrayal. With well drawn characters and an inspiring narrative this was a very enjoyable read. I do recommend this book.

Thatch Hearst has settled in Star Valley, WY, with his two SEAL brothers doing construction work together. He still has rodeo dreams and plans to compete in the upcoming Rodeo Days. He needs an edge though, and that's where yoga comes in.

Lyric Valenza loves owning her own yoga studio in Star Valley. She loves the picturesque view and her group of friends. And the cowboys? Well, been there, done that, zero stars, do not recommend. When Thatch comes to her for yoga lessons, she has her work cut out for her, not to mention her built-in bias against cowboys. But the more time they spend together, the more they work towards a common goal, the more Lyric realizes all cowboys aren’t cut from the same cloth.

No one does cowboys like this talented storyteller, and I loved Thatch and Lyric's story. I loved their group of friends, who are more like family, and I loved watching her confront her past so she could move on to a future with Thatch. Charming, witty, and heartfelt, if you enjoy a strong cowboy hero you'll love this one!

This book was a great read. Lyric and Thatch are two characters that I instantly liked and needed to know more about. She is a yoga instructor and he is a former SEAL, now part owner of a construction company who has secretly taken up riding broncs in the rodeo. Their story is fascinating, rather sweet and touching, with just the right amount of spice. These two have certainly been put through the wringer when it comes to relationships, and they are very guarded when it comes to relationships and love. Thatch was betrayed by his fiancée and his brother while he was deployed. When they later married, Thatch distanced himself from them and, unfortunately, the rest of his family to some extent. Lyric’s ex husband was controlling and abusive.. She finally found the courage to leave him and seek a divorce. She hasn’t seen or heard from him since and wants to keep it that way. Understandably, Lyric has trouble trusting any man, or herself to some degree.

All of their friends can see that Lyric and Thatch are attracted to each other and that they suit each other well and are waiting for them to make a move. Thatch did ask Lyric to go out with him, but she turned him down, her past still very much a factor. Her concern for a young teenage girl whom she feels might be in danger from her boyfriend, leads Lyric to agree to give Thatch yoga lessons if he will help her keep an eye on the teenage couple. Thatch’s bronc riding coach suggested taking yoga might help his form, which will help get him more points in the upcoming rodeo. His arrival at her yoga studio before her teenage girl students leave, leads to a fake dating relationship between Thatch and Lyric as a cover story. Of course the small town grapevine soon spreads the news they are dating far and wide. They are soon subjected to congratulations, advice and encouragement from their close friends. One stolen kiss in front of a witness leads to the need for more. Both feel the attraction and surge of heat between them. That h has known for a long time that he has deeper feelings for Lyric, that he wants to claim her for his own. Lyric’s past trauma has made her bury her feelings and deny they exist. That kiss, however, proves she still has desires and she wants to give this connection she feels with Thatch a chance.

Their fake relationship soon becomes much more real, much more intimate. Can they leave the past behind and learn to trust their hearts and each other? What happens when the are confronted by their pasts? Will they reach for each other or will they retreat? Read this well-written, very engaging book to discover how their story unfolds.

I highly recommend this wonderful book. It’s a keeper!

3.5 stars

Counting on a Cowboy follows Thatch and Lyric we get to see the story unfold from both of their pov's.
Thatch needs Lyrics help to get into shape for bronc riding, and even with their past of hurt feelings due to one-sided feelings, he takes the chance and asks her for help.
Lyric is unsure if she should help him or not, and ultimately she does because she thinks it will help her get closer to someone else.
Overall I did really enjoy this story. It was fun, quick, and I loved how Thatch let everything go at Lyrics' pace when it came to their friendship. While this is the third book in a companion series I was able to get caught up with everything that had happened in the previous books quickly and didn't feel like anything was left out or that I was missing anything. We see our two main characters' relationship unfold while also knowing why they are a little cautious about moving forward with things based on their pasts. This story did such a good job of bringing things to a close, while also showing that the future can be bright if it's with the right person.


This book is perfect for those who love some angst, fake dating, and a side of spicy.

Cowboy and a yoga teacher?

Former SEAL Thatch Hearst wanted to learn how to ride a saddle bronc for the excitement after moving to Star Valley but he was too stiff on the bronc and the only way for him to improve was by taking yoga instruction from Lyric Valenza.

Lyric had moved to Star Valley to get away from her abusive cowboy ex-husband but she would help Thatch with yoga. But her plans to help him went from being friends to pretending to date to excuse all of Thatch’s training on bucking broncs because Thatch wanted to surprise them at the rodeo.

I loved the Star Valley series because it reminded me of home and how small towns take care of each other when times get bad.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the final book in the Star Valley series, which features navy seal Thatch, and yoga instructor Lyric. There has been chemistry and history between these two for a while, so I was excited to get to read their story. Thatch has been interested in Lyric for a while, but she was not interested due to some trauma and bad experiences in her past. However, when Lyric thinks a teenager is in trouble, she asks Thatch to pretend to date her as an excuse to get closer to the girl. As they continue to fake date and spend time together, the lines between reality and pretend start to get blurry. But can they both overcome the scars of their past to get to their happily ever after? This was a fun quick read cowboy romance novel. Trigger warnings, the book deals with alcoholism, domestic violence, and a birth. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Counting on a Cowboy is the third and final book in Sara Richardson's Star Valley series, and although I've read and reviewed the first two books in the series, aside from the first novel, I barely recalled the previously read and reviewed two novels well enough to have a feeling of continuity with the characters in the series, one of the main reasons why I cound't give this novel more than a 3-star rating.

First a trigger warning--this novel deals with both domestic violence, and alcoholism, all of it off-screen, but if those are issues for you, you might want to choose something else to read.

The hero in this novel is Thatch, a former Navy SEAL, and the heroine (of sorts), Lyric, a yoga teacher, who had, in a previous novel refused Thatch's request for a date--still traumatized by the fact that many years ago she's been married to an abusive husband, Luke. My issues with this novel are rather simple--there was no real explanation as to why Lyric hadn't sought pshychological help to deal with her abuse. Yes, I know that many victims of domestic violence have a hard time talking about it, but I've known several women who suffered far more physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their partners than did Lyric, and for far longer than the 2 years of her marriage. Her refusal to even tell her closest friends about it just struck a wrong chord with this reader.

I liked Thatch far more than I did Lyric. He's been attracted to her for years, been rebuffed and ignored by Lyric, and is still fuming over the fact that his younger brother, Liam, married Sierra, to whom Thatch was engaged, and while he was deployed overseas as a SEAL. Lyric is the only woman in the 8 years since that brotherly betrayal who's sparked his interestm and he and Liam have really spoken, and again, that happens very late in this novel. While I really liked Thatch's protective and laid back demeanor as he and Lyric pretend to fake-date so that Lyric can get closer to one her 15-year-old yoga students, Elina, who appears to have, at first, a boyfriend with a violent nature, but I kept asking myself over and over again, why on earth Lyric didn't get help for her own issues before trying to help someone else with whom she believed was another victim of domestic violence. Additionally, her on again-off again relationship with Thatch, who was incredibly low-key and willing to accept whatever little crumbss of herself Lyric she was willing to offer him simply struck me as cruel.

Additionally, with Thatch knowing Lyric's ex-husband from his rodeo days, he fails to warn Lyric that her ex will be in Star Valley for Rodeo Days, a huge event in this small town. When she sees Luke enter the local diner, she freaks out and runs from Thatch's family dinner and from her deeply caring best friends. Again, it just didn't ring true for this reader.

Yes, there's the expected HEA ending in your future, this is a romance after all, but the aforementioned issues made this novel just a so-so read, and while many of you may enjoy it more than I did, the missed oppotunites to really delve into healing from and moving forward after marital domestic violence just kept me from really loving this novel.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Cute and easy reading cowboy romance. I could personally use a little more drama or angst, it just felt so easy and no one got as mad as they should have, but it was cute! Not a new favorite but not terrible.

I keep forgetting how amazing these small town romances are. I love the small town feel, how everyone is always there to help, its so damn cute! This book is part of a series of retired NAVY SEAL, they settled in this small town, one of them lived there, and they each have a sweet story, but this one is about Thatch. He has been having a thing for Lyric for some time, but when he decided to take up Bronc riding as a hobby and he needed to work on relaxing his form he thought of doing yoga at Lyrics studio. Well that came with a fake dating trope, Lyric having this need to protect a young woman from a relationship that triggers her because of what she went through in her own marriage, and also realizing that she is falling in love. Thatch also comes with his own baggage, so they help each other unload. And the ending! OMG! And again another reminder why I love small town romances.

This book was exactly what I need to read. I have absolutely loved this series by Sara Richardson, and this one might be my favorite in the series. I'm sad that this one is done, but hopefully she makes a spin-off with all the kids. That would be amazing because I'm really not ready to leave this little town yet. This book had so many emotions (definitely check trigger warnings before you read if you have any). I honestly felt like I was on a roller coaster with the joy and pain I went through right along with these characters. If you are a small town cowboy book lover, you will not want to miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

2.5 stars.

This book didn't have a ton of depth beyond Lyric and That he's past. I wasn't a fan of the writing style and the chemistry between the two MC was lackluster.

I absolutely love reading books by Sara Richardson and one click many of them. I struggled with this book. There isn't one thing that I look at and say, that is the issue. I'm just bored by it. I normally finish a book in 1 day, but I have been struggling to get through this one in a week! Nothing about it pulls me back into the story. The writing is well done, I think this is just a personal preference. Unfortunately, it is only 3 stars for me. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.