Ellie K Wilde has solidified herself as an "auto-buy/read author for me with this second release in her new series.

Ellie K. Wilde's Only Between Us delivers a steamy and engaging sports romance that follows former pro football star Brooks Attwood and Siena Pippen, the ex-girlfriend of another high-profile NFL player. Forced into a fake dating scenario, they navigate the complexities of their arrangement and their growing, genuine feelings.

Wilde excels at crafting characters with undeniable chemistry. The banter between Brooks and Siena is sharp, witty, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Their initial antagonism quickly gives way to a palpable tension that keeps the reader invested in their evolving relationship. The author also creates a compelling backdrop with the high-stakes world of professional football and the media frenzy that surrounds it.

The fake dating trope is well-executed, providing ample opportunity for both humorous and heartfelt moments. As Brooks and Siena spend more time together, the lines between their charade and reality blur, leading to some truly satisfying romantic development. Wilde also explores themes of second chances, personal growth, and the challenges of navigating public scrutiny.

However, the novel is not without its flaws. Some of the early scenes are marred by dialogue and situations that feel somewhat contrived and cringey. These moments detract from the overall flow of the story and can make it difficult to fully invest in the characters' initial interactions.

Despite these early missteps, Only Between Us ultimately finds its stride. The strength of the characters, the engaging plot, and the sizzling chemistry between the leads make it a worthwhile read. Wilde's writing is both humorous and heartfelt, and she delivers a satisfying romance that will appeal to fans of the genre.

Woah. I was taken by surprise with this one! It started really slow for me and almost DNF but once I hit that 18%, I could. not. put. it. down. Brooks
UNAPOLOGETICALLY fell first and it was PERFECT. I am the #1 hater of second act break ups and although they were fighting for their lives there for a bit, I'm so glad they both ended up being realistic and practical human beings and just made it work.
Honestly, the spice was PERFECT, the banter, the flirting, just *chef's kiss*. One thing, I do wish was played on a bit more was the jealousy trope with his ex (I love toxicity lol). I feel like it was built up for her to be this villain & then she came in the picture and it was so washed out. It would've been interesting to see Siena & Brooks be territorial over each other in those scenarios.
Other than that, amazing work! I was not familiar with this author but she quickly became one of my fav rom com authors! I will for sure be reading more of her work!!

Thanks for NetGalley and Ellie K wilde. I read the book one series last month on KU.
This one was so cute with all troupes
- fake dating
-sports romance
-he falls first 🥰🥰🥰 (that made me melt).
-sprinkle in a little spicy chapters with video calls.

Overall it was cute sports romance book. I loved it. Brooks (sporty jock) in the books falls first for Siena.
That's just 🫠 melts my heart strings. I loved it.
Such a cute read.💗

Fake dating, he falls harder.
Spicy.

I loved hoping back into this friend group.
Siena and Brooks helped each other move past fears and insecurities to find genuine support and love.

I absolutely loved this book!! I love how Ellie writes such a heartfelt, sexy, and raw romance. She doesn’t shy away from real life issues. She shows the good, bad and ugly but then wraps it up in a cute little bow. She also really knows how to write a MMC!! The pacing of this book and the flow of the words was perfect. I was instantly captivated and everything that happened in the story felt believable. The story wasn’t far fetched!! I would recommend this to any and everyone and can’t wait for the next book!! Please! Working on a post for my socials and of good reads :)

I gave this book a 4.5 stars. I absolutely adore Ellie K Wilde, all of her books are such a joy to read. She's becoming one of my favorite authors to read. I really liked Brooks in the last book and I adored reading him now. I thought he was a very well developed character and he was the biggest sweetheart. I also really liked Siena as a character. I thought that their love story was well thought out and a really good fake dating trope. I was really sad when this book came to an end, but I can't wait to read more from this author!

This was between a 3 and 4 for me. It took me a minute to get into the story but much like her other books, I enjoyed this read!

Brooks was such a well-written character (which we knew from OIYD). He has been hurt bad but doesn't allow that to cloud or jade how he lives his life (to an extent....). He doesn't force Siena to change her opinions or cope with her grief on his terms. He's an all around good guy in a tough guy bod.

Siena is dealing with a lot of loss and abandonment issues so her character may seem flawed to some. I think she is exactly what Brooks needed and I loved their banter, their looks, and their overall "I got your back attitude". There are strong feelings around worth and I was not prepared for it to be so emotional.

Read this book for smart puns, cute pets, sass, text exchanges, found family, and general good vibes. Add this book to your summer TBR, pour yourself a nice bev and just have a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ellie for the opportunity to read this book. I am so amazed at how well your catalog is growing and can't wait to start from the beginning all over again.

This was fun, but the story lost me at some point. Siena and Brooks meet in an unconventional way and agree to fake date. Him, to be portrayed as a “family” man and have a better chance of getting back to his football team after having to leave because of an injury. Her, because she needs money to maintain her parent’s shop and help her mom with a mortgage.

What to expect:
- 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 🏈
- 𝙁𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
- “𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨” 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
- 𝙃𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩
- 𝙃𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧

I liked Siena’s witty personality and how Brooks fell down bad for her. The thing is I kind of missed more tension and banter? Things happened too fast and then stayed the same for too long. Some of the spice was not spicing for me. After reading about 30-40% of the book I feel like things got less interesting and missed more plot.

Siena and Brooks went through some unexpected things in life and developed issues with trusting people and thinking they weren’t enough. It was nice to see them supporting each other and overcoming that.

This part might contain some SPOILERS:

Somehow towards the end I got a little frustrated. I thought after how much Brooks kept saying he would do anything to be with Siena, he “gave up” too easily on accepting the teams offer and letting her “go” for a brief time. I only felt this way because at the same time he said the game was the only thing that gave him life, he didn’t even know if that was really it or just because he didn’t have anything else to look forward to or no one else to share a life with. She left him in California with the idea of trying to solve the situation with her parents shop and her mom in her hometown, but if she couldn’t do it, I don’t know what would have happened.

I understood Siena’s reasoning for not wanting to give the long distance relationship a try at first. She had a previous experience and knew she didn’t want to go through that again and be miserable, but I needed to feel them both fighting a little more for the relationship before they had everything solved.

A special mention to the side characters, I really liked them: Shy, Rosie, Parker and Summer. I’m thinking now we need a Parker and Summer story 👀 Their interactions were very interesting!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

Slow to start but I really loved Brooks and Siena once we got into the romance. I felt like there was a bit too much explanation of plots from other book(s) mentioned but overall I had a good time with the story and characters. I also enjoyed the spice

I adored this book!! I love this little town, cast of side characters, and the banter. All the banter!!

Brooks is an absolute cinnamon roll of a football star, and Sienna is the bad ass b we all wanna be!

Oh, I can’t forget the star of the show - Peter!!

Definitely give this book, and the first book in the series a read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

NO NOTES

Listen, when I read the first book in this series, I knew I not only found a new favorite author, but I knew I would DIE for every single one of these characters. Here we are on book 2, and I feel that even more!!!

Brooks is The Boyfriend™️. He is the moment. He is the standard. The emotional maturity, the consensual spoiling, the dirty ass mouth, the PRIDE OF HIS GIRL!!!!!! I don’t know how many times I need to say it, but this man is everything.

Siena is the sweetest, sassiest, funniest fucking woman I’ve ever read and I love her so much. I would happily swim with sharks with her (in a pool, because unlike Brooks, I will NOT be overcoming my fear of open water). The way she fit in to Brooks’ world so seamlessly, even after everything she went through with her ex and in her childhood????? Utter perfection.

Ellie Wilde can do no wrong and if she has no fans, I am simply deceased.

Thank you so much to Atria for this ARC and you can bet your ass, I’m hounding you for book 3!!!! 🤭

Sports Romance fans should check out this steamy series!

Overall: 5
Spice: 3 - multiple hot scenes

Brooks is on a mission to return to the NFL after a significant injury two years ago. Only problem is that he behaved badly in the fallout from his injury and there are pictures to prove it, so his former team is reluctant to re-sign him. Enter Siena - she is familiar with the role of an NFL WAG and when she accidentally posts a photo of her and Brooks to social media his agent thinks she is the perfect fix for his future. Siena agrees to fake date Brooks even after he calls her a jersey chaser. Can they get past their initial impressions to find something real?

I went into the fist book in this series blind and really liked it, so I was excited to get to read this ARC as well thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley. This second book is just as strong with a unique storyline. I've said a great romance writer has me second guessing the HEA and this one does just that. I was turning pages anxious to find out how Brooks and Siena will figure out how to get their lives together. There is also excellent vibes, banter and chemistry. I liked that Brooks & Siena needed the same things from one another, they were a good match. Siena's family history had me in tears. These books are very steamy - this had 3-4 spicy scenes that brought the heat. I spent the last few chapters trying to guess who the 3rd book will be about, so you know I'm hooked.

Ellie K Wilde could write a tax form and I would be DOWN BAD For it. I loved the first one in this interconnected stand alone series and this one was no different.

Funny, sexy and the perfect amount of sweetness. This is going to make into a lot of best of lists.

Pick it up for:
- Capital C Chemistry!!!
- Fake dating
- Swoons for days
- Romcom but with a lot of heart
- Excellent open door spicy times

I was expecting this book to be cute and funny with some spice and a good ending. I was not expecting hilarious banter, compelling character backgrounds and two great and well written main characters. Please have the tissues nearby, especially in the last half of the book.

The tension between the characters was top-notch and I found myself reading this book so quickly because of it. I could not wait for them to finally hook up! And the way they showed up for each other was truly a nice change of pace.

This book was also very funny! The banter between the main and side characters was great! I really hope the next book is about Parker and Summer. I am extremely intrigued by Parker and his extracurricular activities.

I am writing my first ARC review and thank you to Ellie K. Wilde, et al... for giving me this opportunity to review "Only Between Us". I am honored and grateful and hopefully I will do it justice😊.
I am actually giving this a 4.5 stars. This is one of the best sports themed rom-com stories that I have read. I am partial to football though, so that could have something to do with it 😁. This is the sequel to "Only in Your Dreams" which is the second book in the "Oakwood Bay" series. I enjoyed reading this one "Only Between Us" more than the first one because I thought the characters had a much stronger presence and complexity. And, that the plot had more substance; whereby, allowing the reader to emerge themselves into the content of the book while enjoying the overall story.
The book is mainly about two feisty characters who are stubborn as he__ that seem to be drawn together even though it doesn't seem possible that they could even be in the same room for more than 2 seconds. They have chemistry that is salty, fun, bantering , a quirky love, humorous, and very, very sexy. I mean steam coming off the page SEXY!!
If you enjoy a heartfelt, sports com-com with humor, and an enticing romance than you should be reading this!! It is worth the time and will lift your spirit for days.

4.5/5

I absolutely loved this! I loved the tropes. I loved the characters. I loved the comedy. I loved the plot. I loved it all! I love a good sports romance with some fake dating. The meet cute was hilarious and so cute. The chemistry between the main characters was perfect, and there was plenty of emotion and character growth. I’m also very intrigued by the hints of what might be coming next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Brooks was getting a book, I knew I had to read this one. And it did not disappoint! I truly enjoyed Siena and Brooks story and had a good time reading this book. It was funny, swoony, steamy af, and a tear jerker. I can’t wait for the next book. I loved seeing Mel, Zac, Parker, and Summer. And meeting Shy, Rachel, Carla, Rosie, and Evan was a joy. This series has been a lot of fun and I’m excited for the next book!

Huge thank you to Atria books for the early copy!


I am a sucker for a fake dating romance and the fact that is was also a sports romance, was an even bigger win for me. I have become such a fan of Ellie’s writing style and loved the character development we got from Brooks not just in this book, but from what we saw of him in book 1. Siena took me a little bit to warm up to and at times some of her jokes/innuendos were a bit cheesy for me, but the chemistry between our 2 main characters was electric. I’m excited to see what everyone else thinks of this one and I will have some more thoughts to share closer to release date!

The second book in the Oakwood Bay series did not disappoint.

This a story about Siena and Brooks - two wild souls who literally pump into each other and fall in love. But of course, they won't let each other know about their feelings due to past traumas that haunt them to this day.

I loved how caring and protective Brooks was. This big tough football player who turned into a smushhy puppy the moment Siena was around. Sienas character made me laugh so many times - this girl definitely had a mouth on her 😆

Definitely hooked on this series and patiently waiting for the next one 😊 Maybe also a 4th one?! Or will Parker and Summer become a couple?!? 🤔😲

Thank you to netgalley and Atria books for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! I could absolutely see myself picking this book up for a reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.