Thatch and Lyric come to an agreement, to help each other out. When I read what the book was about, I thought it would roll right along, which it did, but things changed. The changes added more depth, and it seemed to be a surprise to them when they realized they were changing.
They had lessons to learn, things to figure out, and figure out what they wanted in their lives now. The story, went along just like it was being written as they lived life.
I received an ARC from Forever though NetGalley.

Cute fake romance trope that is a fast read. I haven’t read the series but I could tell it was part of a series. The main characters are adorable.

This was a wonderful story about to people who were hurt in the past. Thatch and Lyric decide to fake date to observe teen couple where she thinks the guy is an abusive partner like she has experience with. But what happens when fake dating makes them face their feelings for one another?

This is a Cowboy Fake Dating Romance, and this is the third book in the Star Valley series. I have read the first two books in this series before picking up this book. I do think you could read this book as a standalone. I really enjoyed this book, and the characters in this book were great. I loved how the romance was done in this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Thatch Hearst lives in Star Valley after serving as a Navy Seal. His friends are now married, and he would like to date Lyric Valenza. Lyric shut him down a few months ago.
Thatch has been learning bronc riding and his instructor tells him to try yoga for his balance. Lyric is the local instructor, so he asked for her help. Lyric was married before and isn't interested in another husband. Lyric has been working with some high school girls and gets Thatch to pretend to be her boyfriend. The pretend seems to be getting out of hand. Now their friends think they are finally getting together, and his family is coming to town and is keeping up the fake relationship with his family.
Lyric needs to let go of the past and Thatch needs to let go of his feelings toward his brother for stealing his girlfriend while he was in service.

Thatch Hearst is a former Searl and while finding a home in Star Valley he has not decided to try his hand at bull riding, especially with a rodeo coming to town. Lyric Valenzuela is a yoga instructor who is not looking for anything but clients. After having a group of high school girls come into her studio she is worried about one of them. When Thatch comes in wanting to take classes and not asking her out she makes a deal with him keeping an eye on one of the boys who is dating one of the girls in class. Lyric having been married before and abused looks at everything differently and she also does not want to date especially when she finds out that Thatch wants to ride bulls. A lot of different things going on but still is a good story with many different characters and subjects.

Lyric and Thatch enter into a fake dating agreement to keep an eye on a young couple. Even though they both have feelings for each other, they are both scared to admit that to one another because neither one wants to put themselves in a vulnerable position to get hurt again.

This story follows them as they navigate their fake dating arrangement and how they eventually end up falling for each other.

Lyric and Thatch are both stubborn and have hearts of gold. They deserve one another, but are they to stubborn to let love lead?

Lyric and Thatch's story was captivating, I felt like I was one of their friends observing their love for each other unfold.

The characters were well developed, and their story had me engrossed, I couldn't put it down.

Counting on a Cowboy was a sweet, sometimes steamy and easy to read romance. I found the main characters of this story and the people of Star Valley to be charming.

Lyric was a kind character that was willing to go the extra mile to help someone. I liked that. She jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly though. Thatch was a great hero. He was kind, patient and considerate with Lyric. She needed space to feel safe to explore and understand her feelings. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two.

The reasoning for the fake dating seemed a bit hasty and weak to me. And I don't know why Lyric thought a teenage girl would be okay going on double dates. It would have made more sense if they knew each other for some time or had some sort of bond. But Lyric was someone new in Elina's life.

Some possible triggers: mentions of domestic violence and giving birth (chapter 24).

I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Thatch asks a woman for help improving his scores. The more time they spend together the greater the chemistry. This was a quick read.

This was an easy read for me. The story is good: Lyric has escaped an abusive marriage, Thatch was left by his fiancé. They’ve both been hurt, and avoid attachments because of it. Of course, they’re drawn to one another, but she fights it. In order to try to help a young lady whom Lyric suspects is in an abusive relationship, she and Thatch pretend to date.

What really bothered me the whole time is how secretive they both were about their past relationships. Presumably, they have known each other for a decent amount of time, as they are part of a small friend group together. I can never see what there is to benefit by keeping past hurts a secret. Maybe they felt shame about it, but in reality, neither of them were to blame for their pasts.

The way Lyric viewed the relationship between the high school couple was viewed through her lense of abuse, so she made assumptions that were not accurate. The trouble in the high-schooler’s relationship was far different than Lyric expected, and when it was revealed, Lyric was able to help.

Ultimately, Thatch and Lyric realize they are in love, and HEA ensues. This was a good book, not anything incredibly mind-blowing. It followed the typical romance formula, which I do appreciate. I like knowing I’ll get a good read with a happy ending, and this one delivered.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thatch is an ex-Navy SEAL and newbie bronc rider. Lyric is a yoga instructor with a difficult past. The two decide to fake date in order to keep an eye on a teenage couple, Franco and Elina, that has multiple red flags. Will the lines get blurred between Thatch and Lyric? Will the two be able to help Franco and Elina?

I’m very much in my cowboy era so, I obviously enjoyed this book. I loved Thatch, he made this book as good as it was. I also really liked the sub plot of Elina and Franco, I would love to know more about their adult lives in another book. There were some little things about this book that I didn’t love but one major aspect of this book that I disliked was the ending.

This book is the third in a series but can be read as a stand alone, which is what I did.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Sara Richardson so the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sara Richardson is awesome at writing books that pull me in quickly and allow me mindless reading time! 🤓

An ex-military man/new bull rider and yoga instructor make a plan to “date” to help her with the teenagers she’s mentoring. This “relationship” helps him too, as he’s got his friends and family asking him about his love life. Will their fake relationship turn into something real?

Pros: Easy read, entertaining, likable characters.
Cons: Second in the series and I didn’t know! ☹️ Guess I’ll go back and get the first one! 😆

This is the third book and final book in the Star Valley series. The series centers around three ex Navy Seals who has come back to work on the ranch to take care of their friend Jace Valdez”s widowed sister, Tess and her two daughters. Thatch Hearst is the last of the Seal’s to find his happily ever after. He has been flirting with Lyric Valenza throughout the past two books, but after getting rejected by her, has decided to back off. Lyric is attracted to Thatch, but has kept him at arms length due to her past traumatic relationship. When Lyric suspects an abusive relationship between a local teen couple, she decides that a fake relationship with Thatch is the best way to observe them. Why does Thatch go along with this crazy scheme? Well, he has decided to become a competitive Bronc rider, and needs Lyric’s private yoga classes to help him win.. The set up is a little weak, I mean what teenage couple wants to hang out with folks ten years older. If you can get past this set up, the rest of the book is enjoyable. Both Lyric and Thatch have past relationship issues they have to work through, but once they do, they are a great couple. I really enjoyed this series and am a bit sad to see it end. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

This was a beautiful and sweet love story. I look forward to reading the other two books in this series.

Lyric, still reeling from the trauma from her ex, has swore off dating cowboys for good. Even when they are as appealing as Thatch. When Thatch needs a favor, Lyric reluctantly agrees and then finds herself in a fake dating relationship with him which starts crossing all sorts of lines. The sub plot with the teenaged couple made this stand out from the typical fake dating/cowboy romances I’ve read before. That, coupled with their wonderful friend group (although I hated the lying on their behalf) and the townspeople, made this extra enjoyable for me.

This was a quick and fun read. I appreciated that Thatch wasn't as machista as a lot of cowboy heroes are. I did pretty regularly get frustrated with Lyric, especially with the way she handled the teenagers. I know she has some past trauma but I found it really deeply weird to be a 30-year-old kept asking these teens to hang out with her. And then instead of ever playing it cool and trying to build trust, she just immediately reacted in ways that made things way worse. This book also didn't have as much cowboy stuff as I'd expect out of a cowboy romance--to the point that for most of the book, even his closest friends don't know about his cowboy ambitions.

This is the final book in the series though it can be read as a standalone.
This story is one of hope - and is also a reminder that our community of people are there to help us when we are in need or are experiencing difficult times. I love that the MC realises this - as well as pay it forward by helping others.
The story does reference domestic abuse and this may be a trigger for some readers.

Lyric was married to a cowboy, and it was traumatic, she doesn't want to get involved again, but she agrees to fake date Thatch. a second chance at love story.

Counting on a Cowboy is book three in the Star Valley series by Sara Richardson.
This is a western romance I can dig into.
Being in the small Wyoming town of Star Valley was captivating.
I enjoyed the chemistry that developed between Lyric and Thatch.
The story kept me interested and I really cared about what happened to the characters.
The characters in Counting on a Cowboy are amazing but also flawed.
It is a wonderful mix of real-life situations that made this story so realistic to me.
The rest of the book had me turning the pages of a wonderful journey unfolding.
This was a very well written novel, and I am looking forward to reading the previous two.

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thatch and Lyric are a great combination, but... Lyric was married to a cowboy before, and it was traumatic. She doesn't want to get involved with anyone and doesn't trust herself or those around her. For some reason, she agrees to help Thatch with his bull-riding endeavor. When they're caught together in her Yoga studio, they decide to "fake date." The characters are believable and endearing, and the setting is perfect for a small-town country. I enjoyed reading it.