Reviewed for NetGalley:

Best friends Carson and Perry have known each other for 25 years. They have remained friends through deployment, familial abuse, marriage, and tragedy. .

But when Perry wants to step outside their normal routine and find something else outside their small town, it gives them both the push they need to see what has been there all along.

This was a sweet, quick and easy read I finished in an afternoon.

This book was such a beautiful friends to lovers romance. I feel if you are a fan of Elsie Silver then you will absolutely love this book, im running to read the first book in the series immediately.
You are rooting for Carson and Perry from the very start, there are a few touchy topics in this book so a little warning for that but overall a gorgeous book. Maisey is such a talented writer, i will absolutely be reading more of her in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It was steamy and romantic. I love reading best friends to lovers romances, especially the small town ones. The ending was really good. I look forward to the next book that Maisey Yates writes. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

My experience with cowboy/western romance is limited (the sole competitor being Flawless by Elsie Silver), so by no means do I consider myself an expert in this genre- regardless, I found it hard to label this book in a similar vein. Beyond the mention of the town's Wild West reenactments and decades-old lore, I didn't particularly feel immersed in the small town/country vibes like I was expecting.

While I appreciate Yates's dedication to fleshing out the inner worlds of our two main characters, this book can be labeled as one big miscommunication- until it's not in the latter half when we get cyclical, repetitive monologues of where our characters were coming from/their upbringing. Carson Wilder and Perry Bramble both come from a lot of hardship and I found their tension believable, but what I didn't buy into was our character's friendship. Aside from the same 2 references of times when they were growing up, I didn't understand their connection as "best friends who knew each other better than anyone else". For two best friends, they seemed to avoid a lot of difficult conversations (which made sense with certain topics, but not for others). Their dynamic fell into this strange, tortured, "Look at me! This isn't you" vibe. I think this book could have benefitted from more dialogue scenes- there was a lot of telling, not showing. But again, I do appreciate giving our character's complex inner worlds.

Overall, I struggled to find the plot particularly interesting and I wasn't able to connect to either character. Carson suffers from deep-rooted family trauma turned into toxic masculinity and his possessive obsession with being Perry's 'protector' (keeper) was not for me. They both needed to be in therapy with some much needed separation. I wish we got to see this part of the plot through. Props to Perry for sticking up for herself in our third act conflict and knowing she deserves better!

Maisey Yates brings us the story of best friends Carson and Perry. The problem is that Perry has always loved Carson. The other problem is that Carson has no idea. So, what's a girl to do? She runs. But she tells Carson her plan that she plans on expanding her flower business in the next town over. His problem is that she has never been that far from him except when he ran away. Will this move push both of them closer together or farther apart? Will they each be brave enough to face the past so they can have a future?

Maisey Yates brings us a story of love. We meet friends who have been in each other's lives for years and have become so dependent on each other that they shut everyone else out. Perry forgoes going on a date so she can have dinner with her best friend. Carson doesn't open up to his late wife, but he will share his thoughts with his best friend. She weaves a story that brings the reader along with her as you get to know Carson and Perry. You follow along their story and see where their story takes them.

I have received and read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for this privilege.

Outlaw Lake is childhood friends to lovers story that was messy, heartfelt, full of yearning and it hit the spot.

Carson Wilder and Perry Bramble were a hot mess and I kind of loved it. They struggled and fell into a routine of supporting each other but missed the rut this created. They were not honest with themselves or each other until Perry drops a bomb and alters the course of their relationship.

A few notes: I did not love the third person POV, there were some pacing issues, and this is cowboy light IMP.

I really enjoyed this book and please to jump into Maisey Yates back list.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Maisey Yates for this ARC.

2.75⭐️

The main characters in this book were deeply insufferable to me i apologize but it was hard. Carson needs therapy above all else that man is a mess. The entire book everything he did was just so sudden and strange and then the whole last ten percent when he randomly proposed to her but wouldn’t tell her he loved her???? I have no words take this man away. Perry also needed some help but she wasn’t as bad lowkey felt a little bad for her because girly deserves better than Carson no offense!!!! This book was not for me I was hoping to get really good angst and while there was some of that the other parts of the book just had me too frustrated to care about that.

Perry y Carson han sido mejores amigos desde que eran niños. Su relación es profunda, intensa, y se ha mantenido inquebrantable a lo largo de los años. Sin embargo, lo que para Perry ha sido una conexión emocional vital, también se ha convertido en un freno. Decidida a avanzar con su vida, Perry toma la difícil decisión de mudarse, expandir su negocio y perseguir sus propios sueños, incluso si eso significa alejarse de Carson. Lo que no esperaba era que tomar distancia revelara tanto lo que ella siente… como lo que él ha estado negando por años.


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Carson es un personaje que, si bien al inicio puede parecer el típico hombre emocionalmente cerrado, va revelando capas más humanas y vulnerables. Sin embargo, hacia el final del libro, su terquedad y falta de iniciativa me desesperaron un poco. Esperaba que sufriera un poco más por celos, que reaccionara con más intensidad ante la posibilidad real de perder a Perry. Sentí que le faltó luchar más activamente por ella.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

2.5 stars that I debated which way to round and ultimately went with up.

Overall this had some of the elements I’ve come to associate with Yates including a cute small town, ‘outlaw’ vibes from the actions of the parents of the main characters, and main characters who are struggling to be different than their fathers legacies. I also liked the cute and foreshadowing diary’s tires from Perry’s five times great grandma at the start of the chapters.

Unfortunately, those aspects were t enough to overshadow my issues with the book. Firstly, the back and forth between the main characters dragged on so long that I lost interest in the story. Their lack of communication went beyond annoying and ultimately came across as childish to me (e.g., Perry bringing up the wagon to Carson’s brothers, Carson fighting Perry’s date). Secondly, I wish the friendship between Perry and Carson had been built out instead of simply if saying they had been friends for years. Since their interactions were a rollercoaster or being kind then sabotaging the other due to jealously, i never really saw their friendship, making the friends to lovers trope hard to buy into.

Thank you to Maisey Yates, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! At time the plot was slow and I felt we spent too much time in the past and not enough in the present. Despite that, the story was entertaining and the character growth was well written! Would recommend to a friend.

This was cute and had some very sweet moments, but the MCs lack of communication did make me want to yell at them SEVERAL times as I was reading. Unbeknownst to me, this book is part of a series which was made pretty clear as family history plays a big role in issues the characters are experiencing, and said family history was kind of grazed over, leading me to believe it was probably discussed at length in the first book. I really liked the family dynamic the Wilders have and would definitely continue reading about the other siblings! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

This is a best friends to lovers story about two people who’ve been close since they were nine. The book really focuses on the hero’s personal growth, which was interesting, but the pacing felt pretty slow. There was a lot of time spent on their shared past, and I kept wishing for something a little more to pull me in. It had sweet moments, but I didn’t always feel that urge to keep coming back to it.

I picked this up because I love a good “tortured best friends love each other but aren’t willing to say anything to ruin the friendship” storyline. It had some promise, but I’ve got so tired of their back and forth. Just talk to each other already. But it set up the next book nicely, and I plan on checking it out.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Outlaw Lake is the second book in the Rustle Mountain series. Carson and Perry have been best friends since grade school. Carson is now a widow and still depends on Perry to be around. Perry is tired of being dependent on Carson. She wants a baby, bigger shop and more business for her flowers. This was a great sequel. I enjoyed the play of characters and how it played out.

This one wouldn’t make my top 10 cowboy romances, but I still enjoyed the read.

What held me back from fully connecting with the story was the third-person POV — I personally prefer first-person, which tends to draw me in more. Also, I felt the cowboy/western elements were pretty minimal, so I’m not sure it fully fits the cowboy romance genre.

That said, it was still an enjoyable read overall, and I think fans of third-person narratives will really appreciate it.

STOP IT 😍 I absolutely devoured this book, Elsie Silver lovers, this one is for you!

Such a wholesome, small town cowboy romance, best friends to lovers, with alot of laughs and also alot of "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" being yelled 🤣

Despite being quite frustrating at times, this read was such a cute read on top, with some serious topics underlying the fluffy feels. I felt this really bought more meaning and understanding to the characters, and really enjoyed the authors writing style!

Carson Wilder y Perry Bramble han sido mejores amigos desde siempre, desde sus dolorosas infancias. En cuanto al romance, Carson siempre supo que no era lo suficientemente bueno para ella. Y para cuando crecieron, su vínculo era demasiado importante como para arriesgarse a arruinarlo. Ahora, Carson está de luto por la muerte de su esposa. Y como siempre, Perry es su pilar. No puede imaginar la vida sin ella. Pero quizá tenga que hacerlo.

Perry ha amado a Carson desde que tenía 7 años. Nunca mostró el menor interés por ella más allá de la amistad, pero dos décadas después, sigue siendo la persona más importante en su vida. Quizás demasiado importante. Inspirada por el diario de una antepasada que lo dejó todo para venir al oeste como novia por correspondencia, Perry sorprende a Carson con una decisión: se mudará a una ciudad vecina para expandir su negocio de floristería, y para encontrar el amor y formar una familia.

Carson detesta la idea, pero hará lo que sea por la felicidad de Perry. Incluso la ayudará a arreglar su histórica casa para la venta. Mientras tanto, podrá quedarse con él en su rancho en Outlaw Lake. Lo que sigue son cenas llenas de risas, desastres con las aplicaciones de citas, y Carson preguntándose por qué buscaría a otra mujer cuando la que ama está aquí mismo. Sus respuestas pueden estar en las cartas que encuentre del hombre que se casó con la novia por correspondencia... ¿Pero podrá finalmente reunir el coraje para ser fiel a su corazón salvaje, antes de que sea demasiado tarde?


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No saben cuanto estuve esperando este libro, cuando vi el ARC no dude en pedirlo y esperaba que me lo proporcionaran y afortunadamente lo logre.
Sigue el estilo del libro anterior (que también) me encanto, no diré nada mas porque no quiero dar spoilers, pero como ya dije si disfrutaron del anterior es seguro que también lo harán con este.

Gracias NetGalley por el ARC.

I enjoyed this one! It was a quick read with charming romance and lovable characters. It is a slow burn centering on a friends-to-lovers dynamic filled with lots of yearning and miscommunication. I'm not particularly fond of the "it's always been you" trope, as I always hurt for the one yearning. I felt for Perry and wanted to bop Carson upside his head! Overall, a quick and fun read. I would pick up Maisy Yates again!

I enjoyed Outlaw Lake by Maisey Yates. The childhood friends to lovers trope is one of my favorites so I really enjoyed watching it play out between Carson and Perry. Sure, it was a slow burn (not usually my favorite) but I think their love story come together nicely in the end. I'm excited to read more in the series!

Outlaw Lake was fine. It didn't really scratch that cowboy romance itch I was having (forever chasing the high of [book:Daddy Cade|61373532]!!!) and while I enjoyed the character's story, I didn't enjoy the 3rd POV and that made it hard to then jump back in with the other POVs. This is verrrry slow burn, friends-to-lovers, and I think if those are your tropes, it will SPEAK to you.