Let Me Count the Ways: A Sugar Pine Springs Stand-Alone Novella

by Laurel Osterkamp

It was impulisve of me, sleeping with Theo; he’s a rule-obsessed sheriff who’s SO not my type. Then again, Theo’s got this knack for making me feel seen, heard, and desired…

I’m Emma Jacobs, owner of The Pretty Pinecone, a romance-only bookstore. I can sell you the perfect love story but I can't seem to write my own happy ending. When a rival bookstore threatens my beloved shop’s survival, I decided to offer wine tastings and poetry nights. There’s just one problem—Theo Baird, Sugar Pine's infuriatingly handsome yet uptight new sheriff. He’s determined to shut me down over every minor infraction.

Good thing that Theo’s good looking, because his personality is desperate need of a glow-up. And yet, no one challenges me the way Theo can. As my Valentine’s Day event approaches, featuring anonymous love confessions and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s passionate verses, our boundaries begin to blur, and I wonder if maybe I’ve misread Theo all along. But then disaster strikes, and I must decide if I’m brave enough to risk my heart on the most daring venture of all—falling in love.

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS is a sparkling, small-town romance about finding courage in poetry, passion in the unexpected, and the one person who makes breaking the rules worthwhile.

Genres: Romance

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

Laurel Osterkamp is the award-winning author of roughly a dozen novels, such as Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Beautiful Little Furies. She is obsessed with writing and doesn't know how to stop. In addition to her novels, she has short fiction published in literary journals all over the web, writes a monthly column for Writer's Fun Zone, and runs her website, laurellit.com, with book reviews, lesson plans, and writing advice.

When she's not writing (which is rare) she's often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.

Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp.

Reviews

[Getlitwithashleyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a phenomenal novella! 💘 When you combine a romance bookstore owner and a sheriff, you know sparks are going to fly—and setting it around Valentine’s Day made it even more perfect.
Emma owns a romance bookstore in a small Colorado town, but when a big bookstore opens right across the street, she finds herself struggling to stay afloat. Enter Theo, the town’s new sheriff. Fresh off a broken engagement, he’s a little jaded when it comes to love… which makes their encounters even more entertaining.
Their chemistry had me smiling the entire time, and I genuinely laughed out loud—especially when Theo catches Emma trying to chop down the tree in front of her store in the middle of the night 🤣 Absolute perfection.
I also loved the Elizabeth Barrett Browning quotes at the beginning of each chapter. They added such a romantic, swoony touch and really enhanced the Valentine’s Day vibes.
Sweet, funny, and full of heart—this novella was a total win for me. 💕📚

[Courtney Halverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Jacobs, owner of a romance-only bookstore, fights to save her beloved shop when a rival store threatens its survival, only to clash with Theo Baird, the strict but handsome new sheriff determined to enforce every rule. As tensions turn into unexpected chemistry leading up to a Valentine’s Day event, Emma begins to see Theo differently and must decide whether she’s willing to risk her heart for a chance at her own love story.
This was such a sweet read and I am a sucker for any story that involves a book store. The nostalgia was hitting this millennial hard with all the fun references (Twilight, Taylor Swift). There were some laugh out loud moments that had me devouring this book in one sitting. If you are looking for a quick read for Valentine's Day then look no further.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for the perfect Valentine’s Day read, look no further! Let Me Count the Ways is a sweet and swoony novella. It is a quick and easy read. Emma is a romance bookstore owner in a small town in Colorado. She's struggling to stay afloat when a big bookstore opens up across the street from her shop. Theo is the town's new sheriff who is fresh off of a broken engagement. He's jaded against love and her whole life is romance. There were funny moments and swoony moments and I couldn't put it down. It's available to read now so check it out in time for Valentine's Day!

[Linsey Toney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me Count the Ways is stand alone novella that I loved. I give this a 4.5! This is why I love grabbing books at random and finding new to me authors. This author did a great job with the story holding my attention, I enjoyed the characters. If you are looking for a quick read, with a dash of spice then I would highly recommend adding this book to your TBR!

without giving too much away
book store owner meets the new sheriff in town.
grumpy sunshine, fake dating, small town romance

[Chapters with Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me Count the Ways is a quick read that’ll have you wanting to open up your own romance bookshop to recommend love stories and host poetry nights, with a handsome sheriff nearby.
My favorite thing about Laurel’s writing is I know I’m gonna get the feel-good falling in love vibes with laughs. Emma is unintentionally hilarious (because I’d too cut down a tree in the middle of the night without a permit if it was blocking my bookshop 😂). Finished this story in two days & highly recommend if you’re wanting to get a glimpse into Sugar Pine Springs.

5 star read for me this Valentines weekend 🩷

[Jen Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read filled with love, romance and guessing

Need a quick read? I read this book in around 2 hours. I love to have books filled with romance, steamy moments and some guessing.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a quick, fun Valentine’s read with some spice then I have the novella for you! Let Me Count The Ways by @laurel_osterkamp is the perfect palette cleanser.

I will say novellas can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes they feel rushed, undeveloped, and/or too heavy on the spice. But this book didn’t feel that way at all. I felt like we really got to know Emma and Theo and they developed somewhat of a rapport with each other. I mean don’t get me wrong, it is fast paced, but it didn’t feel forced if that makes sense.

There is also a little mystery, some tension, and times where you will say awwwww and kick your feet. I loved that each chapter started with an Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote. I haven’t read a ton of her works, but really enjoyed seeing them and they tied into the story well.

Laurel sent me a cute PR box that included some fun stickers and Emma’s poetry journal, which you read about in the book.

🩷 Read if You Love🩷

💙 Small Town Romance
🩷 MMC is a Sheriff/FMC owns a romance book store
💙 Poetry specifically Elizabeth Barrett Browning
🩷 Witty Banter
💙 Quirky FMC and side characters
🩷 Opposites attract