I had so much fun reading this story, it was amazing! I loved the set up and really felt as though I was in the small town of Rustler Mountain. While Millie works hard to bring the history of Rustler Mountain back to life, she needs the help of Austin Wilder who isn't so enthusiastic, this is where the opposites attract trope comes into play. Cue good girl vs bad boy, cue the flames, cue the spice!

I am awaiting book 2 in the series - Outlaw Lakes - which will come out September this year. Also noticed there will be a third book called Lonesome Ridge, yay!

Always bonus points for a cute cover too. I'm such a sucker for a cowboy romance with a seriously cute cover.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Millie and Austin. They have known each other for all their lives. Millie is a librarian at the library. Austin runs his family’s ranch. Millie needs Austin vote at a town council for the town to renew their festival. He tells Millie that he has never voted, but he shows up for the council meeting and votes. His family helps Millie in the festival. Millie and Austin spend a lot of time together. They start dating. They fall in love.

"Rustler Mountain" is the first novel in Maisey Yates new series of the same name and and my introduction into small town/ cowboy-adjacent romance. With a wide range of lovable and not-so-lovable characters and a interesting and wonderful setting, Maisey manages to write a gripping story about overcoming age-old expectations passed down through generations and influencing the present.
I am definitely excited for the next books in this series!

And who doesn't love a "bad boy" with a well used library card?

Rustler Mountain is that perfect blend of romance and excellent writing that makes it a pleasure to read. Rustler Mountain, Oregon is a place famous for its Wild West reenactments of a feud between the Wilders and the lawmen who founded the town. Millie Talbot, descended from the original sheriff, wants to bring back Gold Rush days with more educational opportunities and the chance to tell the real story of what happened all those years ago. To do this, Millie has to enlist the help of Austin Wilder, local rancher and descendant of the original outlaws. Austin reluctantly agrees to help Millie, in return for her help in clearing the Wilder name. Austin is writing a book about what really happened to start the feud and he's hoping, with Millie's influence, to uncover the lies and secrets that have been in existence since the town was settled. As expected, the attraction between Austin and Millie heats up quickly, but the two have years of prejudice to overcome. It seems that once considered an impoverished, lowlife, the "good" people of the town make those assumptions about the following generations without giving them a chance. Millie, too, needs help overcoming her shyness and low self-esteem. Austin may be just the one to support her. Once the two descendants put their heads together, the cover-ups and secrets that come to the surface completely change the story and give Gold Rush days an entirely new face. Can Millie and Austin overcome all the preconceived notions and find their way together? The answer makes for a fun, engaging story with a little edge. I enjoyed Rustler Mountain very much. I became so involved in the story I forgot to put the book down. I recommend Rustler Mountain to anyone who enjoys a light, interesting read, or who need to escape a little while. Many thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. This is one of my favorites and I hope that Yates continues with the families and Rustler Mountain.

If you’re craving a romance packed with emotional depth, rugged charm, and unforgettable second chances, Rustler Mountain is exactly what you need on your nightstand. This western love story stands strong on its own while continuing the heartfelt legacy of the Four Corners Ranch series.
When your past is written in blood and legend, can love rewrite your future?

Maisey Yates launches her Rustler Mountain series with a powerful story that pits history against the heart. In this richly layered enemies-to-lovers romance, we’re transported to a small Oregon town where family names carry both pride and prejudice. Through poignant characters and emotionally charged storytelling, Rustler Mountain proves once again that the past can’t define you—unless you let it.
My Review

In Rustler Mountain, Maisey Yates blends emotional depth, slow-burn romance, and a legacy-fueled plotline to kick off a new series that’s rich with heart and history. Set in a small Oregon town that prides itself on its Gold Rush roots, this story invites readers into a community built on the legends of lawmen and outlaws—where the truth, it turns out, may not be as simple as good vs. bad.
Millie Talbot is the town’s librarian and history buff, devoted to honoring her family’s legacy. As the great-great-granddaughter of Sheriff Lee Talbot—Rustler Mountain’s golden boy—she’s carrying the torch of tradition with pride. Her latest project? Reviving the town’s beloved Gold Rush Days festival. But to do that, she needs the help of Austin Wilder—the last person she wants to deal with.

Austin is the brooding rancher whose family name still sends whispers through town. As a descendant of outlaw Austin Wilder, he’s no stranger to judgment or assumptions. He’s content to keep to himself, especially when it comes to Talbots and town politics. But when Millie corners him with her plans—and her passion for getting things right—he finds himself pulled into something far more complicated than a festival.

The tension between them is immediate, laced with the kind of unspoken challenge that only exists when two people are both incredibly stubborn—and incredibly drawn to each other. What begins as reluctant cooperation quickly grows into uneasy friendship, and ultimately, a tender, electric romance that neither one of them saw coming.

Yates has always had a talent for writing emotionally intelligent characters, and that’s where this book shines. Millie isn’t just a headstrong heroine with an agenda; she’s also grappling with what it means to protect a legacy that might not be as noble as she believed. Austin, in turn, is more than the quiet cowboy with a chip on his shoulder. His story is about reclaiming identity, challenging the narratives others have imposed, and learning to open his heart to something real.

The backdrop of Rustler Mountain is vividly drawn, steeped in old myths and the dusty charm of frontier towns. Yates uses the setting as more than just a stage—it becomes a reflection of the characters’ internal struggles. The town’s obsession with its past, its hero-worship and long-held grudges, mirror the emotional weight Millie and Austin are each trying to shed.

What sets this story apart is its core message: that history is often told by the loudest voices, not the most truthful ones. Millie’s discovery that her family’s legend may have been built on something more complicated forces both characters—and the town—to face uncomfortable truths. The love story that blooms from that reckoning is messy, authentic, and ultimately healing.

Romance readers who love meaningful character arcs, emotional tension, and a setting that breathes life into every scene will find a lot to enjoy here. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is perfectly paced, allowing their relationship to unfold in a way that feels honest and earned. And the payoff—both romantic and emotional—is everything you want from a small-town story with big heart.

If this is the kind of depth we can expect from the rest of the series, sign me up for the next trip to Rustler Mountain.

This was great. I loved these characters. I really enjoy Maisey Yates' writing. I felt like I could really connect to the characters and the town. Something about the description made me think there was going to be more of a mystery to this book. I'm not really disappointed, but it would have been nice to have a little more. I loved the romance between Millie and Austin. I loved watching the two of them grow together.

Small towns have a reputation of being stuck in the past- but Rustler Mountain takes the cake. Can the decedent of an outlaw and the daughter of a long line of sheriff’s mend a rift as old as the town? This book was absolutely amazing.

⭐ 5
🌶️ 1
🥵 Spicy chapters: 15, 17
📚 Tropes/Themes: forced Proximity, rivals to lovers, rancher x librarian, trauma/healing, soulmates
👀 Dual POV 3rd person
🧠 Triggers: mentions of spousal death,
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 Welp, I can confidently say that Maisey Yates is my newest autobuy author because oh this is so good. The depth and emotion even just a few chapters in was incredible. This was just so beautiful written. There's something about the way that Yates writes inner monologues and FMCs that I just can't get enough of. I'm obsessed with it. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I love the introspection and angst. 😩

I think the best way to describe this story is kind of like a Romeo and Juliet retelling meets the Hatfield and McCoy feud?

Ugh it's so hard to try and explain how I feel about this book, without giving a huge long summary of the story. So maybe I'll just try bullet points of things that I loved:

-how not only you followed Millie and Austin's love story, but Yates also weaved in the love story of Austin's great great great something outlaw grandfather (and namesake) through bits of his journal
-how the MCs worked together to uncover the truth of what really happened with Austin's ancestors and fought to change the whitewashed historical narrative in town
-this is something I noticed from Happy After All, and I mentioned it earlier but the way that both MCs go through some significant growth about who they are as people and healing the emotional wounds they've carried. How they work through their struggle to find where they belong.
-just how sweet and swoony and rugged and rough Austin is in general (even though he doesn't think to highly of himself). I mean let's be real I would definitely date him 🤣
-the relationship that Austin has with his siblings, and specifically I appreciated the open easy banter between them.

So yeah, definitely a five-star read for me, and I cannot wait for Carson and Perry's book 🙌 I'll just have to read all of Yates' other books while I wait 🤷🏼‍♀
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sad to say this was a DNF at 30% for me. I had originally DNF'd at 5% and came back to it a few months later but the same feelings were there. This was not my first book by this author but sadly it didn't capture my attention the way the first one did. I found there to be too many characters introduced all at once making it very difficult and confusing to follow. The premise of the book was very intriguing but sadly for me the execution fell short.

This was ok. It was not my favorite Maisey Yates books but the history of the town of Rustler Mountain was very interesting. I am not sure I would read the second book in this series.

Rustler Mountain takes place in a small town and two people who are the opposites end up falling in love in this page turning book that you do not want to miss. This was well written and all of the characters in this are good. I liked Millie a lot in this one. I am looking foward to reading more books from the author. This was a fast paced read for me and the history of the town, but also the legend of the Wilder family was so good. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend to any reader who loves romance or westerns. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this read in exchange of my honest review of Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates and to Between The Chapters Book Club for the book that I won.

Reading the description for this book, I really wanted to like it. I liked the premise of the small town trying to accurately research its roots and find redemption for the so called "outlaws." But sadly, I just couldn't get into the book at all. I don't know if it was that the characters didn't have chemistry or more likely that I didn't like the characters. Having read this author before I will try her books again, but this one just wasn't one I'd recommend.

2⭐️ DNF @25%

I’m in my small town romance era and I was really excited to pick this up. I love a good enemies to lovers romance where the families have been enemies for generations.

But this book really didn’t do it for me. The characters all felt like caricatures of small town characters.

The FMC was a mousey librarian (seriously her ex and the MMC call her mousy) who didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. It infuriated me that she couldn’t understand why the MMC, a descendant of the town’s most notorious outlaw, was interested in researching the past because he thought his ancestor was set up. I mean who doesn’t love being villainized for something a man dead for over 100 years did? They reenact the moment his ancestor was shot dead in the streets during town events for goodness sakes! I can’t imagine why that would bother him and why he would want the historical record corrected.

The modern day villains were absolutely ridiculous. The FMC’s fiancé cheated on her with the town’s equivalent of Regina George who was well on her way to getting approval to use city funds so she and her friends could go on vacations. The very thought was laughable.

25% into the book, I should care about these characters or at least be interested. But I just wasn’t and it didn’t fell like that was going to change.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

DNF @ halfway point. Not necessarily bad but I couldn’t really get into this. Lots of repetitive dialogue and plot wasn’t holding my attention.

That was pretty darn tootin’ adorable and I’m excited for Book 2!

A few times scenes dragged (one exchange between Millie and her friend Heather seemed to go on about 6 pages too long, trying to engineer a thought-bubble that Millie should be a little more outlaw …)

But overall this was very sweet and hot, and given the state of America right now and the weirdly anti-DEI (to the point of removing words like “woman” and “sex” from government websites) a really refreshing spin to see a librarian campaigning for a more honest representation of history around her town, even if that means her own family’s skeletons getting dragged out for all to see.

Maisey Yates, you’ve done it again!

Maisey Yates is a new author to me. I enjoyed this book very much I am looking forward to the sequel. It was a good romance between the two characters and did not drag out.

With the feel of the Hatfield's and McCoy's, Ms. Yates begins this series telling the Wilder and Talbot story. Rustler Mountain has lots of history about outlaws and killings. Millie Talbot, the town librarian, has always been interested in history. Now she was about to plan the Gold Rush Days. Austin Wilder is the town bad boy. As they begin planning the Gold Rush Days, their defenses come down as each learn something about themselves, and their ancestors. This was a great story! Cannot wait for book two. Thanks to Ms. Yates, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

This story follows a town rivalery between the outlaws and the lawman but there is a connection between a Wilder and a Talbot. This was a great storyline. I am a huge fan of small town romances so I enjoyed getting more of a westernalized concept. The writing was very repitive we repition of the word mouse and “I am a outaw and they are not”. I feel as though the descrptive of his book could have been better so I could be more into the story. This book is told from both Millia and Austin’s pov.

Millie is a librarian who wants to bring the town’s story to life though she needs help. I loved her quiet personality and I felt connected to her. Though I hated how often the mention of her being a mouse. Then we have Austin who has been caring for his family but as feelings for Millie. There are many side characters in this book and I am excited to read their stories in the future books. The romance is small town, bad boy x good girl, and forced proximity. I liked the romance between the MCs but I do have to say that it did feel a bit rushed.

The ending was well done and overall I enjoyed this book. It felt like a bit of a romeo and juliet situation with this book, I am excited to see where Yates goes with this book as I read a bit of the next book which sounds amazing. Check out this story!

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions will be my own.

If you like cowboy romance, good girl X bad boy romance tropes, then this could be the book for you.
Personally, I didn't like Millie and Austin together, but the town history aspect was interesting.