4/5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this book. It’s real, it feels so real. Maisey gives such an in depth look into the characters thought processes, traumas, feelings and emotions, you really get a sense of stepping into their world. Rustler Mountain is so realistic in the highs and lows of living in a rural town and the complexities that come when everyone knows one another. I would have loved a tiny bit more descriptive imagery and a little bit less of the internal dialogue, but overall it was a great story, very well written and very easy to get into!

Another great book by Maisey Yates and the start of a new series. I always enjoy her characters as she makes them come alive through her descriptions. They appear realistic dealing with issues we all encounter in life: learning to trust, believing you deserve to be happy, finding love, and commitment. Can a guy from the "wrong side of the tracks" fall in love with "A good girl from town"? It's an age old question that is tackled and resolved in this mountain town. I can't wait for the next book.

Although I received a free ARC from Net Galley and the publisher, all opinions are honest and true.

This was a fantastic start to a new and intriguing series. It carries the authors voice in a new way. I adored Austin (the present and the past). His relationship with Millie and the way he see's her is so real. I can't wait to continue this series and uncover more mysteries.

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,

This book pulled me in right away with its setting and rich history.

Rustler is the kind of small town that feels like a character itself, with its deep ties to an infamous shootout between an outlaw and a sheriff. Millie Talbot is determined to bring back Gold Rush Days and needs the help of Austin Wilder, the latest in the notorious Wilder line, to make it happen. Austin agrees, but he has his own reasons.

The tension between Millie and Austin was fantastic! She is the classic good girl, he has that rebellious edge, and their push and pull dynamic made every interaction fun to read. Their chemistry was undeniable, but what really stood out was the way they both had to confront their own struggles. Austin’s journey toward realizing he deserves happiness was incredibly well done, and Millie’s inner thoughts made her feel so real.

Beyond the romance, the book does a great job of showing the tangled relationships in a small town. Both main characters had to navigate family expectations, long-standing rivalries, and the weight of their histories.

It made for a such a great story!

If you love a romance with depth, tension, and a strong sense of place, this is a great one to pick up.

Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for this free copy!

Maisey Yates has given us yet another good read with Rustler Mountain, a western gold rush town clearly divided historically between the "good guys" and the "bad guys. " That history is about to be upended by Millie Talbot, local librarian, daughter of the late sheriff of the town, and her mother, the former town librarian. Considered unworthy and odd, and teased for being Millie the Mouse all through school, she wants to revise and update one of the big tourist draws, Gold Rush Days, and set up a a museum filled with historic photos and artifacts. highlighting the heritage and history of the town. It's a worthwhile and noble goal, but she needs the help of one of most the reclusive men in town, Austin Wilder, named for his ancestor, a notorious outlaw who was shot to death on the street by Millie's forebear, Sheriff Talbot. But was he really? But first, Millie has to enlist Austin's aid in getting the funding and backing she'll need, and to do that, she'll have to convince the mayor, Danielle, the woman with whom Millie found her fiancé in bed, which ended their engagement, and made her feel the same rejection she felt all through school. As a lover of history and especially the history of the Old West, and despite the rather slow start, I give this novel 4-1/2 stars.

Millie's stunned when Austin shows up at that town meeting and backs her proposal, shocking everyone there. He's never attended a town meeting before this one. And while I consider this an enemies-to-lovers novel, it's more than that--it's a story that emphasizes that things aren't always what they seem at first, especially if and when you dig deep enough, and it's so well written, as are all of Ms. Yates' novels, I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates is yet again a goodread! The book is based in a small town where there were always two factions - the law-abiding Talbots and the outlaws - Wilder family. The story is so woven into the town's history that everyone still buys the thought a couple of generations later.

Millie the town librarian would like to add another way to draw people into the town. Gold Rush Days based on the legends of the town. In order to do that she will have to convince the Wilder family - specifically Austin to help her.

As the two work together, looking for answers becomes part of the journey. The fact that Autin and Millie are drawn to each other adds an element to the story as does the growth of the characters. Maisey Yates’s book are always interesting reads with lots of action and characters. This one is no different! Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates is a goodread!

I'm a huge Maisey Yates fan and I could not be more excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to review - thank you!
Maisey takes us to Historic Rustler Mountain where there are more than a few colourful characters including a very handsome outlaw! This book gives me Gilmore Girl town feels with its crazy festivals but lots more spice! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, I can't wait to see what else is in store for Rustler Mountain and the bad boys of the Wilder Family!

I am so excited about this new series from Maisey Yates! The characters were total enemies and defined the enemies to lovers trope. So layered and emotional.

Rewriting history has some entertaining side effects. Enjoyable troubled romance between two flawed characters. I am eager to read the next one in this series. While I do skip over the intimate scenes and prefer no profanity, that will not stop me from continuing to read Maisey Yates books. Her stories keep me captivated. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

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.

I thought this book was just super cute. The storyline and dynamic of the situation really had me hooked and I would have loved more between the two main characters and a little less of the in betweens.

Highly recommend for you cowgirls that love them cowboys. Especially one that’s an infamous descendant of a famous outlaw!

Save a horse, ride a cowboy! 🤠 😉

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp for the privilege of reading the ARC and providing my honest review!

Millie and Austin come from two of the town’s most famous families. Mortal enemies of course, but their generation is finding ways to not only work together to get their historical stories told, but to live together making the town of Rustler Mountain better for everyone.
Millie is trying to get the town museum and gold rush days running again and needs Austin’s help to do so. With everyone on town council against her proposal, she needs Austin’s vote to push ahead. As a founding member of the town, he has the one and only vote that can override the town council.

Austin had no intention of helping Millie, why would he, their families are enemies. Which is true for most of the townspeople. He is writing a book about his namesakes' life and famous death in the town and thinks Millie might have more information he could use. Austin and Millie come together to work on gold rush days and find out the history they know isn’t the true history of the town and it’s townsfolk. They then try to uncover the real story and make it known to all. Along the way they realize they have more in common with each other than their ancestors would be happy about. But that is funny thing about love, it doesn’t care who you are supposed to not get along with.

Cute story with worthy characters woven in. There was a little too much harping on the my family hates your family side of the town, it was established pretty well that I don’t think it needed mentioned as much as it was. But all in all, a good introduction to Austin Wilder and his Rustler Mountain.

I really liked this. It was like a soft gentle little romance, I was heavily invested in Olde Austin as well as Newe Austin and honestly, this is what I need more of in my reading life. A small town romance with not ott ,not overly quirky,not overly lovable characters but characters that straddle just that line between real people and fantasy .

The romance develops sort of slowly and since this was an arc and about 100 pages short of what the actual page count is showing on GR, I hope there will be more of Austin and Millie, more of the side characters .
I swear I thought we might get a few chaste kisses and maybe a closed/semi closed door thing but no... no no no... Miz Yates gave me some good ole fashioned bang bang..and in the library too!

Small towns seem to be blessed or cursed with families that continue familial norms for generations. One family can't raise a good kid, another family has only good kids, another family runs the banks, and still others are in law enforcement, hospitality, ranching, and whatever other jobs have been passed down generation to generation.

Rustler Mountain Oregon seems to be afflicted with this same attitude. The Wilder's are the ranchers and outlaws while the Talbot's are the upstanding citizens, or so history believes. Austin Wilder and Millie Talbot are both interested in the history of the town and each other, not necessarily in that order!

Having studied his namesake ancestor's diary, Austin doesn't believe the so called facts about the man. Since Millie's ancestor killed Austin's ancestor...well let's say they have some issues to work out.

With 'Gold Rush Days' approaching, Millie and Austin need to get the truth about their ancestors to the citizenry and prepare to show the people of Rustler Mountain that even sworn enemies can change their way of thinking and living.

I so enjoyed this book. Both Millie and Austin were haunted by their ancestors actions and needed to look to the past to begin their futures. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates is a contemporary romance set in a small town in Oregon. The story centres on Millie Talbot, the town librarian and descendant of a sheriff who gunned down the outlaw ancestor of Austin Wilder, a rugged cowboy and member of one of the town’s founding families. I guess you could say the Wilder's are wrong side of the tracks and the Talbot's are the right side.

The town’s history, rife with tension between the town's families, looms large over the characters’ lives. Millie, still reeling from the recent loss of her father and the betrayal of her ex-fiancé, is determined to preserve the town’s heritage by reopening its museum. To do so, she needs Austin’s support on the town council, forcing them into an uneasy alliance that soon evolves into something deeper. Austin knows his family were outlaws but believes there is more to their history and wants to redeem what he can of their reputation.

Both Millie and Austin are multi-faceted, vulnerable characters dealing with personal challenges and the weight of their families’ legacies. Millie, often underestimated for her buttoned-up persona, is empathetic and quietly strong. Austin is equally compelling, with intelligence, emotion, and the irresistible charm of a quintessential cowboy. Their relationship is full of angst, introspection, and moments of tenderness, as they navigate their identities and the expectations of their community.

The romance is steamy yet sweet, with medium spice that perfectly suits the story’s tone. While the banter between Millie and Austin is sharp, there were moments where I found it slightly hard to follow, though it might work better when read aloud. The supporting characters, like Millie’s best friend Heather, are well-drawn, and the themes of heritage, identity, and found family are explored thoughtfully.

This book captures the complexities of small-town relationships and delivers an angsty yet satisfying romance. With its layered characters and heartfelt story, Rustler Mountain is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and highly recommend it to fans of contemporary and small-town romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The whole book was unique, nothing seems to be the way it was interpreted for the last 150 years of the town's history.
The bad guys against the good guys.
Austin was always seen as a bad boy, and Millie the mousy librarian - the good daughter of the town´s sheriff, yet their love for reading and history brought them together.
I loved the banter between both main characters, they seemed incompatible, and with the added ancient quarrel between both families, yet they both were attracted to each other.
Due to Austin´s ancestor´s diary both of them want to find the truth about their town and search for answers in the archive.
Within their research, both of them fall in love, but how can Austin love someone so good, when he has got the bad roots?
I enjoyed this book and could only recommend someone who loved a good romance mixed with a little bit of Wild West.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I unsurprisingly love this story. There is a reason Maisey Yates is one of my favorite authors. Millie is such a little hero and Austin has the bad boy cowboy charme we all hope for!

The only thing that isn’t really my taste is the dual pov in third person. It takes some getting used to, but doesn’t take away from the beautiful story. The banter, spice and the arch nemesis to lovers 💜

I can’t wait for the next book🏔️

I am a huge fan of cowboy romances and I think this one easily claims a spot in my top reads. The plot is so incredibly unique. Millie is a librarian and from a line of sheriffs while Austin is from a line of outlaws. Both characters are uniquely and believably flawed. Their shared love for honesty and town history made this a plot I fell in love with. I giggled and cried while reading this book. I think Millie and Austin will live in my brain forever. I am so excited this will be a series as I need more of the Wilders and their small town!

Highly recommend for cowboy romance lovers. I am so glad I got an advanced copy of this. It is a book I will read again.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to read and give my honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I would love to see it turned in to a movie possibly on Hallmark. I was hooked on the story from the beginning. It had the past and present and she did a very good job transitioning back and forth. So if you love historical fiction mixed with the romance brewing between Millie and the town outlaw, well you will love this book. You won’t be able to put it down.