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Rustler Mountain #1
Rustler Mountain
The citizens of historic Rustler Mountain, Oregon, have a history as colorful as the Wild West itself. Most can trace their lineage back to the original settlers, and many remain divided into two outlaws, or lawmen. But none more legendary than the Wilders and the Talbots . . .
Every year, thousands of people come through Rustler for the rodeo, historic home tours, old-fashioned candy making demonstrations, sharpshooter shows—and to see the site of the 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. But she needs the current Austin Wilder’s support to make her dream a reality. . .
The Wilders are rumored to be as true to their last name as their ancestors. Nonetheless, Austin is agreeable to helping Millie. But he wants something in return. Austin is working to clear his family name by writing the true history of his outlaw ancestors and Millie might just hold the key.
When Millie wrangles Austin into helping plan Gold Rush Days, he figures it’s a chance to get to the truth of the past. . . . But when sparks start to fly between this bad boy and good girl, will either of them come out of it unscathed?
Every year, thousands of people come through Rustler for the rodeo, historic home tours, old-fashioned candy making demonstrations, sharpshooter shows—and to see the site of the 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. But she needs the current Austin Wilder’s support to make her dream a reality. . .
The Wilders are rumored to be as true to their last name as their ancestors. Nonetheless, Austin is agreeable to helping Millie. But he wants something in return. Austin is working to clear his family name by writing the true history of his outlaw ancestors and Millie might just hold the key.
When Millie wrangles Austin into helping plan Gold Rush Days, he figures it’s a chance to get to the truth of the past. . . . But when sparks start to fly between this bad boy and good girl, will either of them come out of it unscathed?
289 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2025
124 people are currently reading
12419 people want to read
About the author
Maisey Yates
1,163 books3,001 followersNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
April 29, 2025
Did I pick up this book because the cover gave off unicorn vibes? Yes. Yes, I did.
March 12, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
I will always read anything MAISEY Yates writes. This book was so good! I just love a sexy cowboy and this one was so unique in the storyline. I love when two fall in love that aren’t supposed to and their fathers & families were enemies.
This story was super addictive and the feels - oh the feels! The pining. The ache. The longing. The tension. Oyyy. I love a hero that is obsessed with the heroine and doesn’t really understand why.
So excited for the next book!
I will always read anything MAISEY Yates writes. This book was so good! I just love a sexy cowboy and this one was so unique in the storyline. I love when two fall in love that aren’t supposed to and their fathers & families were enemies.
This story was super addictive and the feels - oh the feels! The pining. The ache. The longing. The tension. Oyyy. I love a hero that is obsessed with the heroine and doesn’t really understand why.
So excited for the next book!
July 7, 2025
This was a fun small town cowboy romance but it lacked any real depth & the characters were just fine nothing mindblowing
September 25, 2025
Okay, I am not a Wild West girl. While I love me some OG Oregon Trail pc gaming, cowboy romance is not my usual wheelhouse. That said, Maisey Yates may have just converted me.
Austin Wilder and Millie Talbot are a fabulous, yearn for the ‘bad boy/good girl’ trope you didn’t know you needed. Supposed sworn generational enemies, they have to navigate working together on a town historical reenactments and tours while solving a history mystery and slow burn realize that yes my dear, this is in fact Love.
Sooo looking forward to Outlaw Lake next and probably going over to preorder Lonesome Ridge as well. Happy reading!
Austin Wilder and Millie Talbot are a fabulous, yearn for the ‘bad boy/good girl’ trope you didn’t know you needed. Supposed sworn generational enemies, they have to navigate working together on a town historical reenactments and tours while solving a history mystery and slow burn realize that yes my dear, this is in fact Love.
Sooo looking forward to Outlaw Lake next and probably going over to preorder Lonesome Ridge as well. Happy reading!
March 3, 2025
I have a lot to say about this … full review to come 🙃
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Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates
⭐️⭐️ 2/5
Ok … honestly, I’m being really generous giving this a 2 when I kind of actually wanted to give it a 1. However, I am fully aware of how difficult it is to write a book and have the courage to put it out into the world, so I am bumping my rating up to a 2.
This was … rough. I struggled HARD to get through this one. It put me into a little bit of a reading slump, and I self-admittedly love contemporary western romances. This book takes place in a little town in Oregon called Rustler Mountain, where back in the 1800s, outlaws and sheriffs reigned supreme. Our story follows the descendants of said outlaws and sheriff as they navigate generational stereotypes and their “forbidden” love.
Right off the bat, this book felt very inauthentic to me. Nobody talks like that in real life. If you have any qualms about the words “mousy,” “outlaw,” “good girl,” or “dangerous,” maybe don’t read this book. And if you don’t already, you definitely will afterwards because they’re used no less than 237,459,358,327,523 times. Let’s just say if I had made it a drinking game, I would have been on the floor before Chapter 3.
This is something I feel like the editor should have caught and said something about. This kind of repetitiveness in a book does not reinforce the theme, but rather beats a dead horse and makes a book seem scripted and poorly written. Let. It. Go. We get it. Millie is “mousy” (even though not a single character trait about her is mousy at all). She’s “Very Good Girl Millie Talbot” — I’m not kidding, she actually gets called that — and I hated her for it. It isn’t Millie’s fault, really. She was just written terribly.
Same goes for Austin on the other side. He’s dangerous. He’s an outlaw. Blah, blah, blah. This is the 21st century, but apparently this town still talks like it isn’t. Now, I am from a small town. I understand generational stereotypes. They are a very real thing. These characters, however, are the reason they are. They played into them every step of the way and created their own conflict.
As far as the writing itself goes, it was very blocky. I’m not sure how else to describe it. There was lots of filler and very little dialogue. For example, our characters would be in the middle of a conversation, then we would get pages and pages of repetitive inner monologue, where the character thinks the same thing in ten different iterations, before finally picking back up with the conversation. It was so blocky that I would legitimately forget what conversation was even about before the filler started. Then, just about every other paragraph had some witty saying or wisdom tidbit that was trying way too hard to be a profound realization or quotable moment, and it simply did not work. Quite frankly, it’s just bad writing.
I do want to say that I didn’t totally hate this book. I know it seems that way, but I didn’t. I actually really enjoyed the Wilder family as a whole. They intrigued me enough that I might be willing to read their stories when they come out. Carson and Perry intrigued me, as did Flynn and Jessie Jane and Cassidy and Dalton. It’s exactly the kind of thing I would eat up if the writing improves. I would be willing to give it another shot. Just one more shot, but I enjoyed the characters enough to maybe try. I also didn’t hate Millie or Austin as much by the end. If they had been that way the whole time, I might have enjoyed this book a little more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Maisey Yates, and Kensington Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. This review will only be shared on my Goodreads account, as I don’t see any point in flaming a book I was gifted on my social media, and most of my notes are for the publisher anyway.
—————————————————
Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates
⭐️⭐️ 2/5
Ok … honestly, I’m being really generous giving this a 2 when I kind of actually wanted to give it a 1. However, I am fully aware of how difficult it is to write a book and have the courage to put it out into the world, so I am bumping my rating up to a 2.
This was … rough. I struggled HARD to get through this one. It put me into a little bit of a reading slump, and I self-admittedly love contemporary western romances. This book takes place in a little town in Oregon called Rustler Mountain, where back in the 1800s, outlaws and sheriffs reigned supreme. Our story follows the descendants of said outlaws and sheriff as they navigate generational stereotypes and their “forbidden” love.
Right off the bat, this book felt very inauthentic to me. Nobody talks like that in real life. If you have any qualms about the words “mousy,” “outlaw,” “good girl,” or “dangerous,” maybe don’t read this book. And if you don’t already, you definitely will afterwards because they’re used no less than 237,459,358,327,523 times. Let’s just say if I had made it a drinking game, I would have been on the floor before Chapter 3.
This is something I feel like the editor should have caught and said something about. This kind of repetitiveness in a book does not reinforce the theme, but rather beats a dead horse and makes a book seem scripted and poorly written. Let. It. Go. We get it. Millie is “mousy” (even though not a single character trait about her is mousy at all). She’s “Very Good Girl Millie Talbot” — I’m not kidding, she actually gets called that — and I hated her for it. It isn’t Millie’s fault, really. She was just written terribly.
Same goes for Austin on the other side. He’s dangerous. He’s an outlaw. Blah, blah, blah. This is the 21st century, but apparently this town still talks like it isn’t. Now, I am from a small town. I understand generational stereotypes. They are a very real thing. These characters, however, are the reason they are. They played into them every step of the way and created their own conflict.
As far as the writing itself goes, it was very blocky. I’m not sure how else to describe it. There was lots of filler and very little dialogue. For example, our characters would be in the middle of a conversation, then we would get pages and pages of repetitive inner monologue, where the character thinks the same thing in ten different iterations, before finally picking back up with the conversation. It was so blocky that I would legitimately forget what conversation was even about before the filler started. Then, just about every other paragraph had some witty saying or wisdom tidbit that was trying way too hard to be a profound realization or quotable moment, and it simply did not work. Quite frankly, it’s just bad writing.
I do want to say that I didn’t totally hate this book. I know it seems that way, but I didn’t. I actually really enjoyed the Wilder family as a whole. They intrigued me enough that I might be willing to read their stories when they come out. Carson and Perry intrigued me, as did Flynn and Jessie Jane and Cassidy and Dalton. It’s exactly the kind of thing I would eat up if the writing improves. I would be willing to give it another shot. Just one more shot, but I enjoyed the characters enough to maybe try. I also didn’t hate Millie or Austin as much by the end. If they had been that way the whole time, I might have enjoyed this book a little more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Maisey Yates, and Kensington Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. This review will only be shared on my Goodreads account, as I don’t see any point in flaming a book I was gifted on my social media, and most of my notes are for the publisher anyway.
February 21, 2025
It's the fact that the third act breakup lasted for a grand total of 5 pages that gets me. I loved this book so much and it shows in the fact that I finished it in 24 hours. It's a fun easy read with some great self reflection moments for not only the FMC but also the MMC. I will say their chemistry was a little lacking but I loved the romance between them, I'm a sucker for characters from rival families that fall in love. I literally cannot wait for the next book, fingers crossed there's a giveaway for that one and I can get it early too!
May 4, 2025
⭐ 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 🤷🏼♀
️
🌶️ 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 🤷🏼♀
️
July 26, 2025
I enjoyed the journal entries at the start of each chapter and I loved the history of the town and how it affected the characters. I also admired the willingness of them to embrace that the history might not be correct and it’s okay to adjust that.
The love story was sweet if rushed a lot at the end.
The love story was sweet if rushed a lot at the end.
April 8, 2025
I wanted to really like this. I was halfway there. The setup was great. I loved the setting. I'm a lover of history so the fact the plot was about history made me happy. What Millie and Austin were trying to do was wonderful.
Their attraction came rather quickly but I thought it was nice and was excited to see where it headed. Unfortunately things slowed down in the second half. There was a lot of repetition and too many internal thoughts. The dialogue switched between being bland and not being how people really talk.
The story isn't too complicated which I appreciated because I thought that would leave the focus on love and romance. What I found instead was only the characters thinking about and acting on their attraction. I'm sure many readers will love it. I just wanted something more.
Their attraction came rather quickly but I thought it was nice and was excited to see where it headed. Unfortunately things slowed down in the second half. There was a lot of repetition and too many internal thoughts. The dialogue switched between being bland and not being how people really talk.
The story isn't too complicated which I appreciated because I thought that would leave the focus on love and romance. What I found instead was only the characters thinking about and acting on their attraction. I'm sure many readers will love it. I just wanted something more.
July 26, 2025
Official rating: 2.5 ⭐
Rounded down to 2 (I can't justify rounding up to a 3 sorry)
I don't think I would necessarily call this a cowboy romance. Rustler Mountain is a town that was settled during the gold rush days. It's a wild west type town, but set in present day. I would however, call this a small town romance where everyone knows one another. Despite my rating, I do genuinely believe this story started off great. I loved the vibe & setup. Outlaws vs lawfuls. The Wilder family descends from famous outlaws. And the Talbot family is a generational line of town sheriffs. So, I guess you could call it enemies to lovers. But I personally wouldnt because it's kinda insta-lusty for me personally. Austin Wilder joins forces with Millie Talbot to uncover the truth about the town's history as well as clearing the two families century long beef. I think the town was nice. The partial mystery aspect was cool. But at some point in this novella, the romance was no longer for me. I wasn't rooting for the couple as they didn't really give off a romance vibe to me. Plus the spice wasn't my favorite. I do think I would be interested in continuing this series as maybe I just didn't like this pairing. And I think while I wasn't into it, there were some great parts in of this book & I would encourage you to try it for yourself.
Rounded down to 2 (I can't justify rounding up to a 3 sorry)
I don't think I would necessarily call this a cowboy romance. Rustler Mountain is a town that was settled during the gold rush days. It's a wild west type town, but set in present day. I would however, call this a small town romance where everyone knows one another. Despite my rating, I do genuinely believe this story started off great. I loved the vibe & setup. Outlaws vs lawfuls. The Wilder family descends from famous outlaws. And the Talbot family is a generational line of town sheriffs. So, I guess you could call it enemies to lovers. But I personally wouldnt because it's kinda insta-lusty for me personally. Austin Wilder joins forces with Millie Talbot to uncover the truth about the town's history as well as clearing the two families century long beef. I think the town was nice. The partial mystery aspect was cool. But at some point in this novella, the romance was no longer for me. I wasn't rooting for the couple as they didn't really give off a romance vibe to me. Plus the spice wasn't my favorite. I do think I would be interested in continuing this series as maybe I just didn't like this pairing. And I think while I wasn't into it, there were some great parts in of this book & I would encourage you to try it for yourself.
January 30, 2025
I will start with saying this is the best book I've read this year. Can't wait for the next one to come out.
Austin Wilder is the local bad boy; his ancestor was shot in the street by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Every year during Gold Rush days the shooting is reenacted. Millie Talbot is the town librarian and is a descendant of the sheriff. She is the last in her line of Talbots and feels that she has never lived up to her ancestors.
Austins family has always been depicted as the bad guys in town. He is currently writing a book on his namesake and is sure he was not a murderer and was set-up to be shot by the sheriff. When Millie needs help to get the town council to let her do the Gold Rush days she goes to Austin to ask for help.
This is a wonderful story of Austin realizing he can have a good life, and Millie is wonderful woman together with him.
Austin Wilder is the local bad boy; his ancestor was shot in the street by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Every year during Gold Rush days the shooting is reenacted. Millie Talbot is the town librarian and is a descendant of the sheriff. She is the last in her line of Talbots and feels that she has never lived up to her ancestors.
Austins family has always been depicted as the bad guys in town. He is currently writing a book on his namesake and is sure he was not a murderer and was set-up to be shot by the sheriff. When Millie needs help to get the town council to let her do the Gold Rush days she goes to Austin to ask for help.
This is a wonderful story of Austin realizing he can have a good life, and Millie is wonderful woman together with him.
October 11, 2025
The equivalent of eating a mouthful of saltine crackers. A bit bland, very dry, and takes awhile to finish.
April 28, 2025
I recently picked up Rustler Mountain off my TBR shelf and am so glad I did. It was such an enjoyable, fun read!
What I enjoyed:
🤠Bad boy with a well used library card. Swoon!
🤠Small town Oregon setting
🤠The outlaws plot/identity and how the shootout between outlaw Austin Wilder and Sherriff Lee Talbot still affects their descendants today.
🤠Main characters Austin and Millie. I loved their slow burn, enemies to lovers relationship. They learned so much about themselves together.
What I enjoyed:
🤠Bad boy with a well used library card. Swoon!
🤠Small town Oregon setting
🤠The outlaws plot/identity and how the shootout between outlaw Austin Wilder and Sherriff Lee Talbot still affects their descendants today.
🤠Main characters Austin and Millie. I loved their slow burn, enemies to lovers relationship. They learned so much about themselves together.
February 25, 2025
I love, LOVED this opposites attract, small town, enemies to lovers story that sees Austin Wilder, the namesake of his Rustler Mountain, Oregon home town outlaws teaming up with Millie Talbot, the local librarian to try to uncover the truth behind what happened in the past and redeem his family's reputation.
Were Austin's family really the bad guys and was Millie's sheriff ancestor really the good guy? Of course sparks fly and things get steamy as these two figure out if they might be able to put aside their family differences, organize the town's Gold Rush Days festival and forge a new future together.
Highly recommended for fans of authors like Penny Reid and her Green Valley series and fantastic on audio narrated by Jennifer Mack. I can't wait for more in this series featuring Austin's siblings! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door
Were Austin's family really the bad guys and was Millie's sheriff ancestor really the good guy? Of course sparks fly and things get steamy as these two figure out if they might be able to put aside their family differences, organize the town's Gold Rush Days festival and forge a new future together.
Highly recommended for fans of authors like Penny Reid and her Green Valley series and fantastic on audio narrated by Jennifer Mack. I can't wait for more in this series featuring Austin's siblings! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door
September 28, 2024
this book wasn’t perfect, but it was real and soo incredibly addicting ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The characters had flaws and made you feel frustrated when they were their own worst enemy. Millie truly is a different kind of female main character. She is indecisive, wanting, and a little bit lost. What is so special about this book is you get to see her get her spark, to grow into the person SHE wants to be.
I imagine our male main character to look like a grumpy cowboy Henry Cavill (with reading glasses?!) 🔥🔥
“Was this pining? This wrenching, aching, horrible…need?” He is so down bad for Millie 🥹
Austin is lonely and exhausted, tired of living in a town that can never see him as anything more than his last name. The name of the infamous Austin Wilder (his namesake), an outlaw of the Wild West who is notorious in their small town. But is the story of this so called villain even true?
Austin and Millie team up together to restore the Gold Rush Days and find themselves exploring both their families history. Sparks begin to fly but Millie is a Talbot- descendent of the man who shot Austin Wilder dead and led his family to be ostracized for years how could he ever fall for someone like her…
but oh god does he 😏 in his own words
“He was pretty damn obsessed with her. Touching her, kissing her, looking at her. Talking to her.”
“You do this to me. I don’t even understand what it is. Magic, maybe. I’ve been turning it over in my head all day.” 😫😫😫
Give me Perry and Carson’s book IMMEDIATELY !!
The characters had flaws and made you feel frustrated when they were their own worst enemy. Millie truly is a different kind of female main character. She is indecisive, wanting, and a little bit lost. What is so special about this book is you get to see her get her spark, to grow into the person SHE wants to be.
I imagine our male main character to look like a grumpy cowboy Henry Cavill (with reading glasses?!) 🔥🔥
“Was this pining? This wrenching, aching, horrible…need?” He is so down bad for Millie 🥹
Austin is lonely and exhausted, tired of living in a town that can never see him as anything more than his last name. The name of the infamous Austin Wilder (his namesake), an outlaw of the Wild West who is notorious in their small town. But is the story of this so called villain even true?
Austin and Millie team up together to restore the Gold Rush Days and find themselves exploring both their families history. Sparks begin to fly but Millie is a Talbot- descendent of the man who shot Austin Wilder dead and led his family to be ostracized for years how could he ever fall for someone like her…
but oh god does he 😏 in his own words
“He was pretty damn obsessed with her. Touching her, kissing her, looking at her. Talking to her.”
“You do this to me. I don’t even understand what it is. Magic, maybe. I’ve been turning it over in my head all day.” 😫😫😫
Give me Perry and Carson’s book IMMEDIATELY !!
March 6, 2025
this one was my very first book by maisey yates and i really appreciated it! i’m always in the mood to read a good small town story where the opposites main characters fall in love and this case we have an apparently bad guy and a local librarian that will team up and will try to uncover the mystery of what really happened in the past and redeem his family name!
it was so cute and funny to read about austin’s story but i have to say that i’m very curious to get to know better the rest of the gang in the next books because what a family!!
if u are in the mood for a short romance with mystery and a funny and lovely fam this one’s for u :)
a lot of thanks to netgalley and headline for sending me the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!!
it was so cute and funny to read about austin’s story but i have to say that i’m very curious to get to know better the rest of the gang in the next books because what a family!!
if u are in the mood for a short romance with mystery and a funny and lovely fam this one’s for u :)
a lot of thanks to netgalley and headline for sending me the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!!
March 27, 2025
Ruster Mountain is the first book in a new series by Maisey Yates featuring the four Wilder siblings. Spoiler (not really) by the end of this book we know whom the significant others will be for the remaining three Wilder siblings. I honestly can’t decide whether this is a morality play wrapped in a contemporary romance or a romance wrapped in a morality play. I tend to believe the later. Yates is about a subtle as a sledgehammer in driving home the message of the role societal and family expectation play in developing who we are and who we become. Like most Maisey Yates stories there is as much revealing of the main characters internal monologues as there are actual conversations or physical actions. When Millie Talbot and Austin Wilder do converse the conversations are often very deep discussing human nature and people’s motivations. Oh, and there’s also a bit of graphic sex as Austin shows Millie what she’d been missing during her six-year relationship with her cheating ex-fiancée. And Millie with Austin’s help no longer burdened with concerns about what other people think about her becomes Austin’s very willing student.
Our female protagonist Millie Talbot is the last living decedent of the Talbot line and a rare female from that line. Lee Talbot her ancestor was the legendary lawman that brought the outlaw Wilder brothers to justice. Well, if justice is gunning one, Austin down in the street and seeing the other two hanged. Since then the position of town sheriff has always been held by a Talbot. Mille has always felt pressure (perhaps self-imposed?) to live up to the family name by trying to be her idea of morally perfect. While her classmates were mooning over the slightly older bad boy Austin, the famous outlaw’s namesake, Mille was warning them to stay away from him. Millie who is by nature a shy introvert (many called her Mousy Millie) followed in her late mother’s footsteps becoming the town’s librarian. She was never even kissed until she was 24 years old when Michael her future fiancee showed an interest in her. Michael was Millie’s first everything and the only man she’s ever been with. Feeling flattered and grateful that she had attracted a man like Michael’s attention and because Michael was a member of the family that founded the town’s bank that meant her father would approve of him. Mille dated Michael for four years before becoming engaged and moving in with him for two more. But shortly after her father suddenly passed and they were due to be married Millie caught Michael cheating on her with Danielle, the town’s mayor. Millie isn’t so heartbroken as she is pissed over Michael’s betrayal and the fact that she wasted the last six years of her life with him and was ready to marry a man she didn’t really love because she thought it would make her father happy. As our story opens Millie is preparing to go before the town council and ask for money to restore the town’s historical museum and its annual Gold Rush Days while Danielle wants to use the money for her and her close allies to travel around supposedly studying how other towns have prospered. To defeat Danielle in a town vote that involves the town’s founding families, Mille has determined she needs more allies. What she needs is the vote of Austin Wilder whom as head of one of the town’s founding families has a vote in the matter. For years she has checked books in and out of the library for Austin without having a single conversation with him. But a Talbot working with a Wilder a member of the town’s black sheep family to accomplish anything is unheard of.
No one in Rustler Mountain had any expectations for Austin Wilder and his two brothers Carson and Flynn other than like the Wilder generations before them to be shiftless troublemakers. Taught this lesson at a young age Austin did his best to live down to those expectations. Although often arrested for petty crimes he was never convicted. Then one day about fifteen years ago when he was twenty, Austin found his then eleven-year-old half-sister Cassidy abandoned and left on his doorstep by her mother. Being suddenly responsible for raising a younger sister proved to be the catalyst to push Austin to get his and his younger brother’s acts together. They cleaned up their acts and began working together to run a cattle ranch where they produce and sell organic beef. But peoples perceptions are hard to change. Over a decade of minding their own business and being self-supporting still hasn’t caused the good citizens of Rustler Mountain to change their opinion of the Wilders. Austin has his namesake’s diary and is convinced he is being wrongly portrayed in the town’s history. While he admits the original Austin Wilder was an outlaw robber (because he was desperate to first support his brothers and later his wife and children) he doesn’t believe he or his brothers were guilty of murder which was the justification for their deaths. He believes something shady went down between Sheriff Lee Talbot whom the town has placed on a pedestal and Hancock guy who led the original Austin Wilder deeper into a life of crime. So he agrees to vote in favor of Millie Talbot’s proposal if she agrees to give him access to her families documents. In an opposites attract trope Austin and Mille are shocked to discover the physical attraction between them. Eventually succumbing to that attraction they also discover they have far more in common than just physical chemistry and a desire to accurately portray the town’s history.
I suspect if you have liked previous Maisey Yate’s books you’ll also enjoy this one.
Our female protagonist Millie Talbot is the last living decedent of the Talbot line and a rare female from that line. Lee Talbot her ancestor was the legendary lawman that brought the outlaw Wilder brothers to justice. Well, if justice is gunning one, Austin down in the street and seeing the other two hanged. Since then the position of town sheriff has always been held by a Talbot. Mille has always felt pressure (perhaps self-imposed?) to live up to the family name by trying to be her idea of morally perfect. While her classmates were mooning over the slightly older bad boy Austin, the famous outlaw’s namesake, Mille was warning them to stay away from him. Millie who is by nature a shy introvert (many called her Mousy Millie) followed in her late mother’s footsteps becoming the town’s librarian. She was never even kissed until she was 24 years old when Michael her future fiancee showed an interest in her. Michael was Millie’s first everything and the only man she’s ever been with. Feeling flattered and grateful that she had attracted a man like Michael’s attention and because Michael was a member of the family that founded the town’s bank that meant her father would approve of him. Mille dated Michael for four years before becoming engaged and moving in with him for two more. But shortly after her father suddenly passed and they were due to be married Millie caught Michael cheating on her with Danielle, the town’s mayor. Millie isn’t so heartbroken as she is pissed over Michael’s betrayal and the fact that she wasted the last six years of her life with him and was ready to marry a man she didn’t really love because she thought it would make her father happy. As our story opens Millie is preparing to go before the town council and ask for money to restore the town’s historical museum and its annual Gold Rush Days while Danielle wants to use the money for her and her close allies to travel around supposedly studying how other towns have prospered. To defeat Danielle in a town vote that involves the town’s founding families, Mille has determined she needs more allies. What she needs is the vote of Austin Wilder whom as head of one of the town’s founding families has a vote in the matter. For years she has checked books in and out of the library for Austin without having a single conversation with him. But a Talbot working with a Wilder a member of the town’s black sheep family to accomplish anything is unheard of.
No one in Rustler Mountain had any expectations for Austin Wilder and his two brothers Carson and Flynn other than like the Wilder generations before them to be shiftless troublemakers. Taught this lesson at a young age Austin did his best to live down to those expectations. Although often arrested for petty crimes he was never convicted. Then one day about fifteen years ago when he was twenty, Austin found his then eleven-year-old half-sister Cassidy abandoned and left on his doorstep by her mother. Being suddenly responsible for raising a younger sister proved to be the catalyst to push Austin to get his and his younger brother’s acts together. They cleaned up their acts and began working together to run a cattle ranch where they produce and sell organic beef. But peoples perceptions are hard to change. Over a decade of minding their own business and being self-supporting still hasn’t caused the good citizens of Rustler Mountain to change their opinion of the Wilders. Austin has his namesake’s diary and is convinced he is being wrongly portrayed in the town’s history. While he admits the original Austin Wilder was an outlaw robber (because he was desperate to first support his brothers and later his wife and children) he doesn’t believe he or his brothers were guilty of murder which was the justification for their deaths. He believes something shady went down between Sheriff Lee Talbot whom the town has placed on a pedestal and Hancock guy who led the original Austin Wilder deeper into a life of crime. So he agrees to vote in favor of Millie Talbot’s proposal if she agrees to give him access to her families documents. In an opposites attract trope Austin and Mille are shocked to discover the physical attraction between them. Eventually succumbing to that attraction they also discover they have far more in common than just physical chemistry and a desire to accurately portray the town’s history.
I suspect if you have liked previous Maisey Yate’s books you’ll also enjoy this one.
December 23, 2024
4🌟/5
Vibes: 📚🐎🫂❤️🩹✨☕
"Emocional, dulce y adictivo"
Perfecto para fans de sagas como Blue Rebel Ranch series 🥹🫶🏻
Qué cosita de libro más tierna y linda. Con los elementos que más amo en este tipo de lecturas:
🐎 Familia de vaqueros? ✓
🐎 Small town? ✓
🐎 Un romance puro y conmovedor? ✓
🐎 Grumpy and Sunshine trope? ✓✓✓
Amé mucho la dinámica entre Austin y Millie, quienes vivían bajo la presión del legado de sus antepasados, y a gracias a su amor, aprender a liberarse de una vida sin magia, para empezar a creer otra vez.
Son personajes entrañables, con los que hice una buena conexión. Y adoro que habrá más de ellos en más libros!
Oh, y ese final... lloré tanto que no me alcanzaron las servilletas 😭😭😭🥹🫶🏻✨
Al principio sí me costó un poco agarrar el ritmo, pero me alegra haber llegado hasta aquí, porque es de las historias más bonitas que he leído este año.
Recomendado 100%
Vibes: 📚🐎🫂❤️🩹✨☕
"Emocional, dulce y adictivo"
Perfecto para fans de sagas como Blue Rebel Ranch series 🥹🫶🏻
Qué cosita de libro más tierna y linda. Con los elementos que más amo en este tipo de lecturas:
🐎 Familia de vaqueros? ✓
🐎 Small town? ✓
🐎 Un romance puro y conmovedor? ✓
🐎 Grumpy and Sunshine trope? ✓✓✓
Amé mucho la dinámica entre Austin y Millie, quienes vivían bajo la presión del legado de sus antepasados, y a gracias a su amor, aprender a liberarse de una vida sin magia, para empezar a creer otra vez.
Son personajes entrañables, con los que hice una buena conexión. Y adoro que habrá más de ellos en más libros!
Oh, y ese final... lloré tanto que no me alcanzaron las servilletas 😭😭😭🥹🫶🏻✨
Al principio sí me costó un poco agarrar el ritmo, pero me alegra haber llegado hasta aquí, porque es de las historias más bonitas que he leído este año.
Recomendado 100%
February 26, 2025
BOOK: RUSTLER MOUNTAIN
AUTHOR: MAISEY YATES
PUB DATE: FEBRUARY 252025
👩🏼🏫👨🏼🌾
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👨🏼🌾👩🏼🏫
THINGS I LIKED
1. The cover
2. The cover
3. The setting and storyline. It was interesting to read about the town and the founders and their descendants' drama.
4. I liked the characters individually.
5. I liked what the FMC, Millie was doing with the town's history.
👩🏼🏫👨🏼🌾
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
1. There was no chemistry between Millie and Austin.
2. Austin was kinda annoying clinging to the past.
3. I liked the setting, but some of the characters were quite annoying.
4. I expected it have an oomph, but I didn't get it
👨🏼🌾👩🏼🏫
This book was okay and it was not boring, it's not just my favorite
AUTHOR: MAISEY YATES
PUB DATE: FEBRUARY 252025
👩🏼🏫👨🏼🌾
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👨🏼🌾👩🏼🏫
THINGS I LIKED
1. The cover
2. The cover
3. The setting and storyline. It was interesting to read about the town and the founders and their descendants' drama.
4. I liked the characters individually.
5. I liked what the FMC, Millie was doing with the town's history.
👩🏼🏫👨🏼🌾
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
1. There was no chemistry between Millie and Austin.
2. Austin was kinda annoying clinging to the past.
3. I liked the setting, but some of the characters were quite annoying.
4. I expected it have an oomph, but I didn't get it
👨🏼🌾👩🏼🏫
This book was okay and it was not boring, it's not just my favorite
January 8, 2025
I devoured this in one sitting. I absolutely loved this. It was a little bit repetitive and the end was a little much for me, but overall I had a blast. I am a cowboy romance enthusiast and this was a TREAT.
I loved the FMC and her inner thought process. Her thoughts specifically after the first time they have sex are SO real and so good and something I have never read before, it was incredibly refreshing.
I loved the setting. I love the family and the stories that will follow this one, I am deeply invested in all of them.
I am so, so glad to have gotten this arc. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing
I loved the FMC and her inner thought process. Her thoughts specifically after the first time they have sex are SO real and so good and something I have never read before, it was incredibly refreshing.
I loved the setting. I love the family and the stories that will follow this one, I am deeply invested in all of them.
I am so, so glad to have gotten this arc. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing
March 18, 2025
I thought the Four Corners Ranch series was Yates's masterpiece but...WOW. This one is going to be amazing based off of what I just read. Maisey Yates writes the best heroes and this one is the best of the best. A hot "outlaw" cowboy, a "bad boy" according to the entire town all because of his namesake, but a good albeit rough guy with a heart of gold... and he READS. And writes. (Does it get any hotter than that???)
I loved Millie. A great example of a strong heroine who doesn't have to act "tough" to be tough. Both characters were truly good people who believed the truth mattered more than reputations, even their own. They both stood for what was right and fought for justice. And I loved that despite their outlaw/lawman heritage, they fought with the power of WORDS.
I loved Millie. A great example of a strong heroine who doesn't have to act "tough" to be tough. Both characters were truly good people who believed the truth mattered more than reputations, even their own. They both stood for what was right and fought for justice. And I loved that despite their outlaw/lawman heritage, they fought with the power of WORDS.
June 30, 2025
This was cute!!!! I loved the way Millie and Austin bonded over how much they both wanted the truth about their families to come out and history to be made right, even if it wasn’t putting their own family histories in the best light to do so. The only bummer for me was the absolute yo-yoing these two went through. Even in one chapter!!! Their feeling and actions flip flopped so much that I found myself rereading parts to see if I missed what led to such a drastic change.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
June 19, 2025
Ate it up, finished 85% of it on the flight to EDI.Bad boy outlaw and good girl librarian. Cheesy in good ways. Could have gone without some of the tropes… but choose your battles I guess. Easy listen, good for a reading slump.
April 4, 2025
Listen, I'm on a big Cowboy Romance kick. And look at that cover. How could I not?
January 1, 2025
Was received as an ARC through a giveaway here on Goodreads. Romance isnt my typical genre but I did enjoy this book quite a lot. It was a fast paced read for me and screamed Hallmark movie but that's not a bad thing. The characters were enjoyable and overall the story kept me hooked enough to read it in a day. Will be recommending it to my romance loving mother.
September 14, 2025
“Little mouse” ???? Be so fr
DNF
DNF
November 16, 2024
Millie y Austin viven en Rustler Mountain, un lugar donde los pensamientos de muchos lugareños son anticuados y las personas son juzgadas según lo que sus antepasados hicieron. Ambos provienen de familias fundadoras: ella es una Talbot, conocida por su reputación de ser gente de ley, mientras que él es un Wilder, cuya familia tiene fama de ser forajidos.
Ambos crecieron con la idea de que deben ceñirse a los roles que la sociedad les impone: ella debe ser recatada, sumisa, una buena esposa, callada y servicial; mientras que él debe ser un delincuente, alborotador y mujeriego. Sin embargo, cuando comienzan a pasar tiempo juntos, se dan cuenta de que no deben dejar que los demás decidan cómo deben vivir sus vidas, y que es momento de mostrar sus verdaderas personalidades y hacer realidad sus sueños.
El siguiente libro es de Perry y Carson, y solo espero que él sufra por haber elegido a otra antes que a P.
Nota para mí: No creo que él haya amado a su esposa; más bien, creo que en el ejército la gente lo veía como alguien valioso, algo que no ocurría en Rustler Mountain. Cuando conoció a su esposa, probablemente la vio como una oportunidad para demostrar que todos en su pueblo estaban equivocados y que él era digno de respeto. Espero que eso se cumpla, y que la razón por la que no intentó nada con Perry haya sido por culpa.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ambos crecieron con la idea de que deben ceñirse a los roles que la sociedad les impone: ella debe ser recatada, sumisa, una buena esposa, callada y servicial; mientras que él debe ser un delincuente, alborotador y mujeriego. Sin embargo, cuando comienzan a pasar tiempo juntos, se dan cuenta de que no deben dejar que los demás decidan cómo deben vivir sus vidas, y que es momento de mostrar sus verdaderas personalidades y hacer realidad sus sueños.
El siguiente libro es de Perry y Carson, y solo espero que él sufra por haber elegido a otra antes que a P.
Nota para mí: No creo que él haya amado a su esposa; más bien, creo que en el ejército la gente lo veía como alguien valioso, algo que no ocurría en Rustler Mountain. Cuando conoció a su esposa, probablemente la vio como una oportunidad para demostrar que todos en su pueblo estaban equivocados y que él era digno de respeto. Espero que eso se cumpla, y que la razón por la que no intentó nada con Perry haya sido por culpa.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2025
Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates, millie Talbot, like everyone else who’s lineage goes back to the wild West where’s her heritage like a personality and this includes the outlaw’s great grandson and namesake Austin Wilder. unfortunately, Millie needs Austin‘s help and the fact she’s only seen him in the library and has never spoken to him doesn’t deter her. She’s known as being mousy around rustler Mountain. Austin on the other hand is known as being a loner and a troublemaker he thought he would never live past 35 but now that he has, he has some thinking to do, and when Millie knocks on his door to ask for his help little does he know that she will be the food for thought that ignites his greatest conclusions. soon his help turns in to something else and not everyone is on board with it. Ironically, it’s mainly her ex fiancé and his new girlfriend. In the wild West sheriff Talbot, put an end to Austin Wilder, but in current day Librarian Talbot is hoping to be this Wilders new beginning. this is the beginning of a new series about the ancestors of wild West rivals business partners and more all falling in love with those who at one time would’ve put a bullet in each other and I am down for all of it. I love the old diary entries at the beginning of the book and whether their real or not it gives a great tone to the story and I can’t wait to read the next book with Carson, this is looking like it’s going to be a great series. #NetGalley, #KensingtonBooks,#MaiseyYates,#RustlerMountain,
March 1, 2025
This cover! 😍 I’ll be honest, it’s the reason I picked up this book - it was giving all the cute small town, cowboy vibes.
What I liked about this book:
- It did cowboy romance with a twist, adding a bit of a Wild West vibe, which differentiates it a little from other books out there in this genre.
- The found family. One of the main things I enjoy about these types of books is the found family, and Rustler Mountain delivered. I liked the cast of characters and am already intrigued to see how the other stories/couples play out, particularly Carson and Perry’s in book 2.
- Austin and Millie’s mutual love of the town’s history, books and research made me buy into them as a couple in it for the long haul. There was more to their relationship than mutual attraction.
What I wasn’t so keen on:
- Constantly referring to Millie as “mousy” (luckily that tapered off in the second half).
- It was just a bit too cheesy at times for my personal taste.
- Despite the main character referencing the fact that the story is set in the modern day, she still sometimes spoke and acted like someone from the 1900s.
- The ending felt too rushed and a bit too Hallmark (again, for my personal taste).
Overall, while not a new favourite, it was a super quick and easy to binge read, and a nice palate cleanser.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.
What I liked about this book:
- It did cowboy romance with a twist, adding a bit of a Wild West vibe, which differentiates it a little from other books out there in this genre.
- The found family. One of the main things I enjoy about these types of books is the found family, and Rustler Mountain delivered. I liked the cast of characters and am already intrigued to see how the other stories/couples play out, particularly Carson and Perry’s in book 2.
- Austin and Millie’s mutual love of the town’s history, books and research made me buy into them as a couple in it for the long haul. There was more to their relationship than mutual attraction.
What I wasn’t so keen on:
- Constantly referring to Millie as “mousy” (luckily that tapered off in the second half).
- It was just a bit too cheesy at times for my personal taste.
- Despite the main character referencing the fact that the story is set in the modern day, she still sometimes spoke and acted like someone from the 1900s.
- The ending felt too rushed and a bit too Hallmark (again, for my personal taste).
Overall, while not a new favourite, it was a super quick and easy to binge read, and a nice palate cleanser.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.
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