This is the 2nd book in this series and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a fake dating trope for a football player and a team fan who literally run into each other at their first meeting. Sparks fly. It’s fun, steamy and all those things you want in a well told story.

4.5 Stars! This book was fantastic! I think I may have actually enjoyed it more then the previous one, and I really liked that one too. I loved seeing more of Brooks. He was such a sweetheart. He may seem tough on the outside but he is actually vulnerable and emotional. I liked how good he was with his feelings, from being skeptical, to telling his fears, and falling in love. Siena was a spitfire. She has been through so much in life. I love how independent and tough she is but how she can also still be soft. There are reasons to why she does the things she does. I felt like her backstory was done very well through out the entire book. I do feel like this book could have been a little shorter, which I said with the previous book too, but I still devoured this book. It was fun, cute, emotional, and spicy! I really hope we get to see Summer and Parker get together in the next book of the series.

Thank you NetGalley, Ellie K Wilde, and Atria Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Only Between Us" by Ellie K. Wilde was such a fun, feel-good read! If you're a fan of football romance and fake dating tropes, this one wholeheartedly delivers.

The relationship between the characters felt incredibly natural, with great chemistry and just the right amount of slowburn tension. Siena was sharp, witty and easy to root for, and Brooks had total golden retriever energy. He was honestly just so lovable.

While there were a few pacing moments that kept it from being a full five stars for me, I still really enjoyed the story and the heart behind it. It’s the kind of romance that makes you smile without trying too hard. Thank you to Ellie K. Wilde, Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Welp I didn’t see that one coming. I devoured this masterpiece in 24 hours. Couldn’t get enough. Zero crumbs. This book made my heart feel all warm and gooey. It was so dang sweet & already can’t wait to reread. But don’t be bamboozled by the adorable cover… the spice in this is downright FILTHY.

Definitely add this one to your tbr! You will not regret it.

Thank you Ellie Wilde and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy! I am truly grateful.

5 ⭐️ | 2.5 🌶️
🏈 former NFL working on a comeback
⚓️ fake dating
🏈 hate to love
⚓️ he falls first & harder
🏈 meet cute gone terribly wrong
⚓️ hate kissing
🏈 SPICE

Oh I absolutely loved this book. Brooks and Siena were so damn cute. Brooks is the ultimate book boyfriend. I laughed, I cried, honestly such a cute read

**Spice**: 5/5 🌶️
**Story**: 4/6 ⭐️

Ellie K. Wilde’s *Only Between Us* delivers an engaging sports romance with a dash of spice. The plot revolves around Brooks Attwood, a football star trying to regain his career after a knee injury sidelined him two years ago. His attempts to rejoin his old team are complicated by a series of questionable decisions, including his involvement with multiple women, which raises concerns about his character. Enter the “fake dating to love” trope, which forms the basis for much of the story's tension.

Siena Pippen, the female lead, is a breath of fresh air. She’s the owner of a tackle shop she inherited from her adopted father, and she’s built herself up from tough circumstances. She’s no pushover and isn’t fooled by Brooks’ charm, making her an incredibly strong and relatable heroine.

The pacing of the physical and emotional burn between the two characters is well-executed, with enough tension to keep readers engaged. The chemistry between them builds steadily, and the emotional depth adds another layer to the story.

This one’s definitely more suited for 18+ readers due to its explicit content, but for fans of sports romances with strong, independent heroines and a touch of angst, *Only Between Us* is a fun read.

**Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

💥🏈 BOOK REVIEW 🏈💥
Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fake it ‘til you fall HARD.

Brooks Attwood was supposed to be laying low. Rehab his career. Train in peace. Stay out of trouble.
But one viral selfie with the wrong girl—aka the ex of the NFL’s golden boy—and suddenly the world thinks he’s found love off the field.

Siena Pippen wants nothing to do with football, fame, or another man with a hero complex. But with her family business on the verge of collapse, and Brooks’s redemption tour hanging by a thread, a fake relationship is the perfect solution... right?

Except the sparks? 🔥 Yeah, they’re real. The way he looks at her? Also real. The slow-burn tension and mutual pining? Realer than real.
And when “just pretending” starts to feel like everything they’ve both been searching for? Game. Over.

✨ What to expect:
🏈 Fake dating (with lots of not-so-fake feelings)
🧨 Enemies to lovers with sizzling chemistry
👀 Forced proximity + public swooning
💔 Healing, redemption, and found family vibes
🥵 Steam so hot it could melt the turf
🖤 A grumpy/sunshine dynamic that flips in all the best ways

If you loved The Cheat Sheet, The Right Move, or Only in Your Dreams (Brooks’s cameo!), you NEED this one.

This isn’t just a love story—it’s a touchdown dance of heart, heat, and second chances.

#OnlyBetweenUs #EllieKWilde #FakeDatingRomance #SportsRomance #GrumpySunshine #TouchdownLove #EnemiesToLovers #BookstagramRecs #RomanceReaders #NFLLoveStory #AtriaBooks #RomanticHeat #SpicyReads #SlowBurnRomance

Ellie Wilde continues her Oakwood Bay series with Only Between Us. A fake dating trope romance novel for Sienna & Brooks. Brooks is returning to the NFL & needs Sienna to help clean up his image so they begin fake dating. Ups & downs throughout this story with plenty of characters in their friends group, including Zac & Melody, from Only In Your Dreams, the first Oakwood Bay book in the series.
The storyline can be a little difficult to follow in Sienna & Brooks' relationship, but if you're looking for some spice, you'll find plenty of it in this story.
Thank you, #NetGalley & #AtriaBooks. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you're looking for spunky characters, a little drama, plenty of passion, & a bit of swoon, then check out Only Between Us by Ellie Wilde.

Listen, this book almost lost me when Sienna asked Brooks to sign with the Tigers. I’m still mad thinking about the audacity of choosing a crappy bait shop over an NFL contract. However, they found their way (albeit slowly), and it was another incredible book in the series.

When I saw Ellie post this arc was on NetGalley I sprinted to request it! Love love love this book!!! Oh my gosh where do I even start? Ellie seriously writes the best characters! Brooks and Siena are perfection, the banter 10/10, the spicy scenes 1000/10. I genuinely adored both the books in this series soo much. Im really hoping for a 3rd book for Summer and Parker because I absolutely don’t want this series to end!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

If you’re looking for a better MMC than Brooks Attwood, you won’t find it. The patience, the acts of service 👌
Siena is funny in a way that I can’t get enough of! These two grew to be so considerate of each other even when they couldn’t stand each other (or so they tried to convince themselves 😆) I was so happy to have received an ARC for this book because waiting until July would’ve been torture. I just can’t say enough good things about this author in general!

Thank you for the advanced preview of this book! The story of Siena and Brooks was so steamy and the perfect escapism. While it was almost 0% relatable, it provided a great story for the reader to sink into! Loved it.

The cover did not prepare me for how GOOD this book is. It's a great cover but the pages inside were phenomenal. I don't like spicy books per say, but I love books with spice and this had some epic spice with an incredible plot. The characters were so well defined and both main characters had such believable and thorough story arcs. They were humanly flawed and meeting them and growing with them and watching their romance develop was an absolute delight. I cried. I laughed. I felt things for the two of them I didn't know I could for two fictional people. I love themmmmm. I 1000% recommend this to romance lovers who want to get all those feels, while devouring a well-written book. I am awestruck at the incredibleness of this romance story. It's top notch, one of my all-time favorites and I'm still blown away by the clever writing and storytelling. New favorite romance writer, yep.

Thank you to Ellie K Wilde & Atria Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)

Having read, and adored, Only in Your Dreams earlier this year, I was STOKED when I was given the opportunity to ARC read this one and immediately dived in.

Brooks and Siena are so, so fun and just perfect for one another. Brooks is this golden retriever of a tattooed ex-NFL player with a (broken) heart of gold who has "learned" from his past that he is nothing without football. He sets damn-near impossible standards for himself to return to not only return to the NFL after a injury-inspired-retirement but also return to his former team. Unfortunately, due to a parade of rebound sex after his (now ex) girlfriend of 8 years left him the second he uttered a word about retirement for one of his teammates, his old team doesn't want him or the bad PR he stirs up.

Enter Siena, who is hyper-independent, and has a complicated relationship with her father's bait shop. When she and Brooks meet, it's basically fireworks.... that quickly turn into full on destruction bombs due to some fear-rooted assumptions, causing them to dislike one another pretty heavily. That is, until Brooks needs a fake girlfriend to get positive press so he can return to his old team... and Siena needs money to keep her father's bait shop afloat.

The journey that these two go on is an incredible mix of funny, emotional and downright sexy. Brooks may have a dirtier mouth than Zac and that's saying something. I saw a lot of myself in these characters and I'm trying really hard to feel like I'm not cheating on Melody/Zac here but dammit if this sequel isn't even better than the first one. Also I cried.

Also also, Alexa, play "Gotta Go My Own Way" by Troy & Gabriella .... No, I won't be expanding on that.

Additional review links, including Amazon link, will be updated shortly

I picked up this book with high hopes, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. While the premise had potential, the execution felt lackluster, leaving me somewhat disappointed.

The pacing of the story was one of its biggest issues. The plot dragged on for what felt like ages, with little development or excitement in between. As someone who enjoys a good romance with a bit of tension and chemistry, I was left waiting for something to happen.

While the chemistry between the leads was decent, it wasn’t enough to carry the book for me. I did not find the FMC's backstory compelling, and the entire plot revolved around the fact that she loved her parents enough to work a miserable job for the rest of her life, but not enough to have a conversation with them once in fourteen years.

I found myself waiting for the romance to feel more genuine, but it never truly did. Ultimately, this book just didn’t leave much of an impact. It’s not terrible, but it didn’t offer anything that made it stand out.

Devoured this immediately. I loved book one and this was even better. While I wished we had seen more appearances of the realist books character. I still fell so in love with the ones in this book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a gifted copy of this book.

I discovered Ellie Wilde this year and I'm loving her books! I read book one and fell in love with the characters in this small town. I enjoyed the humor and fake dating trope - I needed something lighthearted and easy to read and this one could not have come at a more perfect time. The spice level is definitely way up there so readers beware. If you're a fan of Elle Kennedy, Elsie Silver and Lucy Score, then you'll love Ellie Wilde!

I wish there were words to accurately depict my obsession with Siena and Brooks. I loved this more than the first in the series and I didn't even think that was physically possible. Brooks was the exact golden retriever man that sweet sunny Siena needed in her life. The two of them were opposite in the interesting ways and exactly the same in the best kind of ways. AGAIN, obsessed. I have no notes. Ellie you crushed it!

Rating-
1.5/5 stars
(Rounded Down)

Genre-
Contemporary Romance

Tropes-
🏈Fake Dating
🛥️Only One Bed
🏈Hate To Love
🛥️He Falls First And Harder

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I was honestly really enjoying this book at the beginning, and then I got so, so bored. About 30% into the book I was like it must be over soonish, and then I realized it wasn't, and I realized I have 70% more to go, and I just thought how… I had been reading this for what seemed like forever, and I still have way too much left to go, and was just getting so annoyed at the whole thing for some reason. I just got so bored and was done with it when I had so much left to go and started getting so bored with the plot and everything else to do with the book. I was so tempted to just dnf it and don’t know why I honestly didn’t because this was like pure torture for me to read. I thought it was honestly really cute and everything at the beginning just in my opinion really boring to read after the first 30ish%. I think other people definitely would like this, I just got super bored well reading it and ended up hating it…so all in all did not like this book and would not really recommend.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an early copy of Only Between Us!

Ellie K Wilde delivers a sizzling, emotional romance in Only Between Us, crafting a story that’s as heart-wrenching as it is undeniably sexy. With well-drawn characters, deeply felt tension, and a slow-burn connection that ignites the pages, this book is perfect for readers who love their romance packed with longing, angst, and undeniable chemistry.

Wilde masterfully blends vulnerability with passion, making every interaction between the leads feel electric and meaningful. Their connection unfolds with just the right amount of push and pull, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to balance raw, heartfelt emotion with irresistible steam. The characters feel authentic—flawed yet deeply compelling—which makes their journey to love all the more satisfying. The tension is palpable, the dialogue crackles, and the emotions hit hard in the best way possible.

For fans of Mariana Zapata’s slow burns and Elizabeth O’Roark’s emotional depth, Only Between Us is a must-read. Wilde delivers a romance that is both achingly tender and utterly addictive, making this a standout in the genre.