After enjoying Only in Your Dreams, I was excited to get an ARC for the sequel Only Between Us, and Ellie K. Wilde did not disappoint. Fake dating at its finest, Brooks and Siena’s love story is sure to delight anyone who likes sports romance and banter.

Brooks is trying to get back into the NFL after a two year retirement following a bad concussion, but his former team isn’t interested due to the 6 month bender he went on after learning his girlfriend cheated on him with his teammate. When he literally runs into Siena at the college he coaches for, she accidentally posts a photo of the two of them together instead of an innocuous photo of the field sparking dating rumors. Siena has been there and done that when it comes to dating pro athletes, and she’s not looking to get into another long distance relationship, but she agrees to fake date Brooks to rehab his image and help him get signed while making a bit of extra cash as an influencer while she’s at it. Naturally, the lines between what’s for show and what’s real start to blur, and the feelings Brooks and Siena fake for the cameras start to become true.

The chemistry between Brooks and Siena is great, and their banter is top notch. I did get somewhat frustrated with Siena for some lack of communication with her family, but, as is so lovely about the romance genre, it all works out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

AHHHHHHH! This book was so so so so so good. I'm literally so obsessed with Ellie's book, and I mean I couldn't put it down! I LOVED this. Brooks and Siena were the perfect couple! I fell in love with Brooks in book one, so getting to read his story now, was EVERYTHING. I am so in love with this book and I need like...ten thousand more.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Oakwood Bay series, so I was eager to read Wilde's newest addition as soon as it was out! I flew through it. Brooks, who played the best friend in Oakwood Bay 1 made a great leading interest, and the story between him and Siena was easy to root for. If you are looking for a nice, lighthearted romance with a happy ending, this is a great series!

I loved this book! When I got the invite to read the second book of the Oakwood Bay series I was so excited since Only in Your Dreams was so good..

Brooks and Siena were the perfect match. After meeting Brooks in the first book I couldn’t wait for his story. The fake dating trope was done so well. Brooks was all in with Siena.
Siena was a great FMC. She was independent and had great confidence and could hold her own.
Siena was so supportive of Brooks and gave him the confidence that he never had before. And Brooks was dependable and loyal to Siena and showed her that he would always be there for her. I really enjoyed their growth.
There is a brief third act break up because Siena is being a bit selfish but it didn’t drag out and it gave Siena the opportunity to have a real conversation with her mom.

I am excited for the next book!

Rating ⭐️: 5/5
Spice 🌶️: 2.5/5

🩷 Fake dating
🏈 Sports romance
🩷 Strangers to enemies to lovers
🏈 He falls first and hard
🩷 Cinnamon roll MMC

Thank you so much to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc!

This was one of my favorite books of the year. The fake dating trope gets me every time and this was no exception. Sometimes I get the ick from the whole retired player MMC but I loooved Brooks.

Received as an ARC through NetGalley. 5’s for vibes! Liked this one better than the first book in the series. We love a fake dating trope. Spice was good and will be recommending to friends.

This was a really cute read! I loved the banter and both the main characters. I also zoomed through it because I couldn’t put it down!

4.75 Stars

I LOVED THIS! I liked this book so much more than the first one, and I liked the first one a lot as well! This was a near perfect enemies to lovers, fake dating, sports romance! I cannot wait to continue the series and read more from this author in the future!

“My little thief, stealing the heart right out of my chest.”

I didn’t expect it to top book 1 but here we are. Only in Your Dreams was perfection to me so this should tell you how much I love Brooks and Siena.

Siena tornadoes into his life with her big heart and Brooks falls heads over heels for her. He is relentless in his pursuit of her and so kind and patient. The banter is top tier. I ate this up.

Now I need Parker and Summer to get a book, pretty please! I am not above begging.

Thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and the author Ellie K. Wilde for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria books for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️

Brooks Atwood is a retired NFL wide receiver wanting to make his come back after 2 years. When he retired after an injury, his long term girlfriend left him, announcing she had been with his teammate for awhile. Retiring and losing the what he thought was the rest of his future had him in a downward spiral, until he decided he wanted to come back to the NFL and his old team. Problem is, during his spiral, there were more than a few photos of him in comprising positions with women, and never the same one. Siena Pippen is just grieving her father’s loss and looking for his memory when she Brooks collides with her. Being a former girlfriend of an NFL quarterback, Siena has an online presence and a following all on her own. When Siena posts a photo of the pair as a fan of his, the whole sports world thinks they are dating. Because of both of their past traumas with his ex being a user and her having abandonment issues, they immediately have bad blood. However, his agent thinks this is perfect. Fake date until Brooks gets his contract. But as we know, fake dating never stays fake.

I’m on a fake dating kick and this hit the mark! Per usual, the feelings hit and usually for one basically right away. Brooks was a gem of a man! The conflict was heartfelt and I teared up a few times in the end. Definitely recommend if you love the fake dating trope!

Thank you for the early read of Only Between Us! I really enjoyed this second installment in this series.
It has all the fun tropes, enemies to lovers, fake dating, sports comeback and slow burn romance.
I really enjoyed their banter and that the plot was really well thought out!
I will be recommending this one when it is published in early July!

I love sports romances so much and this was no exception!! I thoroughly enjoyed Brooks and Siena’s love story. Brooks is such a heartfelt and the epitome of a golden retriever MMC. I loved him so much. Siena is an independent woman who stopped relying on people she was supposed to years ago. She’s a complex character and her backstory is so relatable in many ways. I really enjoyed how Brooks was also complex and had an interesting backstory as well. I loved the side characters and the found family aspects.

Such a cute story. I read this as a stand alone and loved Brooks and Sienna. I was a little confused in the beginning with the banter and pretending to hate each other, I didn’t feel like that was necessary. We could have done without the “i hate you, you’re annoying” storyline, and just had fun banter and tension between them.

Fake dating is one of my favorite troupes, and this story did not disappoint!! the second half of the book had a lot of friends that I’m assuming I would have known if I’d read the first book, but overall great book! I’ll be sure to pick up any others in the series!!

Thank you for NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 🌟
Spice: open door
Format: ebook

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved book one, so I was definitely skeptical of this one could top it, but boy did it! As much as I love Zak, Brooks is my new favorite. Their chemistry from the moment they ran into each other was 🔥 Brooks having a praise kink was seriously chef's kiss. I would gladly praise him all day long. I seriously loved these two. The Banter, the nicknames, the learning to trust each other! Already foaming at the mouth for Summer & Parker! If they don't end up together I will riot!

📚 Just wrapped up Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde, and I’m still swooning! 😍 (5⭐️s)

Picture this: Brooks Attwood, a former NFL star aiming for a comeback, and Siena Pippen, the ex of the league’s golden boy, accidentally go viral with a selfie. The media thinks they’re the new “it” couple, and suddenly, they’re fake dating to keep up appearances. But as they play pretend, real feelings start to surface. 💕

Brooks is the sweetest guy—supportive, kind, and just the right amount of charming. Siena is strong, determined, and trying to carve out her own path away from the football world. Their chemistry? Absolutely electric! ⚡

This story had me laughing, blushing, and rooting for them every step of the way. It’s a delightful mix of humor, heart, and romance. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

If you’re into:
• Fake dating turning into real love 💑
• Sports romance with depth 🏈
• Characters you can relate to 💪
• Witty banter and heartfelt moments 😂

Then this one’s for you! Available for purchase: July 8th!

#OnlyBetweenUs #EllieKWilde #BookReview #NetGalleyARC #RomanceReads #Bookstagram #FakeDatingTrope #SportsRomance #BookLovers #MustReadRomance

Ellie K. Wilde has a just the touch for a spicy sports romance. I thought I loved "Only in Your Dreams" but "Only Between Us" kicked it straight to the curb!

Brooks is gearing up his training to make a comeback in the NFL after two years of being retired due to a concussion scare. He's determined to get back to his beloved team The Rebels but after a 6 month bender of bars and back alley hooks up directly after retirement the Rebels aren't too sure Brooks has grown up and settled down enough to join their wholesome team. Siena is still grieving the loss of her father two years after his death and trying to keep his bait shop business afloat even though she longs to be out on the water chartering her own sailboat. Her NFL ex boyfriend dropped her after being traded across the country and she wants nothing to do with that life again. But after literally being tackled by Brooks Atwood a fake dating scheme is ignited and Siena and Brooks are brought together.

Brooks and Siena's chemistry was off the charts, I loved them together so much. They played really well off each other with all the snark and banter. The fake dating trope was hoppin' with accidental/purposeful kisses and posed photos. And lets not forget Pete, god that was cute. I loved how much Siena and Brooks grew as people, Siena learning she didn't always owe someone something for doing something and Brooks learning that he is good and worth dating. Their story was fun and romantic and I loved the love of it all. Honestly this is so gushworthy and heart melting, if you're looking for a sweet and spicy sports romance this is IT!

I am so pleased to see that we will be getting a Parker and Summer book as well, those two are so funny and weird with one another I can't wait to see how Ellie brings them together! Thank you so much to Atria Books for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm in my sports romance era and all this adorable books are hitting the spot perfectly. This is a fake dating another plays Ex and reformed Fboy. Do I even need to say more. The chemistry is off the charts and the tension pulls tight and snaps with perfection. I love these two together. I love how they just can't get enough of each other and how they have real life problems and relationship issue that are relatable and pull at your heart. Very enjoyable

I loved this book!! The writing was strong and I loved their voices, and the way that their relationship developed through out the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Only Between Us is book two of an interconnected standalone in the Oakwood Bay series.
I absolutely devoured this book. The chemistry and banter between Brooks and Siena is fantastic. I am a sucker for a fake dating trope, as long as it's well done. This book had me from the moment Brooks picked up Siena with a car full of beverages for her because he didn't know how she took her coffee. Brooks made for a swoonworthy book boyfriend. Their relationship development was really well written, and their personal development journeys really flourished too. It's so refreshing to read a book with spectacular spicy scenes and good plot, too.
I appreciated the realism of this story. Both Siena and Brooks were facing relatable real-world obstacles that drove them to make the choices they had. The ending was so well done. I wasn't entirely sure until the end how it all was going to pan out. I'm really excited to see where this series goes next, and I hope that it is a story for Summer and Parker.
Read this if you like:
- small town romance
- found family
- fake dating
- forced proximity
- sports romance
- great chemistry and banter
- fantastic spice

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC of Only Between Us By Ellie K. Wilde.

Only Between Us is the second book in the Oakwood Bay series, and I absolutely adored it.

This one features some of my favorite tropes—actually, quite a few: fake dating, sports romance, small town, interconnected stand-alone, and a slow burn. Just all the goodness that makes a romance book shine.

Brooks and Siena are the cutest, and you’re rooting for them the entire time. Their communication skills are top-notch, and I loved the banter, the chemistry, and the real struggles Brooks is going through—plus Sienna’s backstory added so much depth.

It all just came together really well, and I’m really hoping that two of the side characters featured throughout this book get their own story next. I seriously can’t wait for it!