DNF. I am not the biggest fan of this authors writing. It just falls flat, I don’t feel immersed in the story, and it’s like the story is being told to me instead of feeling like I am in the story. I am very thankful to have been sent this book to read, but it is sadly not for me

This book was everything sweet and spicy I needed during my brewing reading slump. Siena and Brooks are both hurt by their past relationships. But when an actual bumping into each other creates prospect of a future that would benefit them both, Brooks tries to convince her to fake date. I loved how they took their sweet time to connect with each other and how they fell in love. Brooks gift giving as a love language had my heart and I just loved it.

The friendships around were so adorable.

I was soooooooo excited for this book after LOVING Only in Your Dreams and it did not disappoint! It was super cute, super fun, I loved every second of it. I really enjoyed seeing Siena & Brook's relationship grow and thrive. I also enjoyed hearing their backstories and seeing them individually grow from their past as well. I just loved every page of this, I could not put it down! Their banter, their chemistry, their connection, it just all made sense, they're soo meant to be!!! I LOVED IT

Also, the hinting towards the next couple, potentially the next book...... I NEED IT NOW 👀👀

Only Between Us: ★★★★☆ (4)

Pub date: July 8 - preorder now!

Thank you Atria Books & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde Arc Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ; 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Tropes: reformed playboy; fake dating; sports romance; black cat FMC; mine; he falls first; dog dad

PSA: Brooks Atwood and Sienna Pippen may be my favorite couple of the year. If you asked me what fictional world I’d want to be in, it’s theirs. Plain and simple.

Just went Sienna has sworn of dating athletes, she sneaks onto the college closed practice field and gets quite literally knocked over by the handsome Brooks. Although he falls with her…. It’s kismet.

Brooks needs to win over the LA Rebels’ management into believing he’s settled down if he ever wants to earn a spot back on their roster post injury. Maybe a fake girlfriend will prove to the world he isn’t taking girls in back alleys to hook up anymore?

It only helps if she really attractive too, right? Even if they both hate each other?

This book!!! Omg I read it in 2 days. I was obsessed. Brooks is HOLY HELL- the king of pining for his fake girlfriend despite being determined to not fall for another cleat chaser.
And Sienna is badass, jaded perfection. The banter and playful back and forth + the build up + the spice + the journey of personal growth amongst both of the MCs to overcome their previous heartache and abandonment issues….. it was so good. This was amazing.

I can’t recommend enough. Oakwood Bay has my heart. 🖤 💗

I have been anxiously waiting for this sequel and I am only more obsessed with Brooks. Brooks has his eyes set on his comeback to pro football with his hometown team. The only obstacles in his way are some risqué photos from a bender after his retirement from football and heart break. In comes, Sienna, who is also trying to bounce back from a devastating heartbreak. She seems to be the only solution to his problem and his shot at returning to the Rebels. I love the push and pull between these two as they learn more and more about each other. They both held their cards close to the chest, but eventually found respite in one another. This was fun with all the fake dating shenanigans. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC and physical ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to read the first book in this series and was so excited to get to read this one! I had absolutely loved Brooks in the first book so I knew I’d only love him more and I may now be borderline obsessed with him! He has raised the bar because I’m not sure if I’ll ever find a man who goes above and beyond simply because he’s not sure how I take my caffeine. Watching Brooks and Siena remind each other everyday how much they were wanted and loved was beautiful! Also the banter was *chef’s kiss*

While I recommend reading the first book because of character cameos you don’t need to!

This one was a total delight, flirty, heartfelt, and exactly the kind of low-drama romance I was in the mood for. Siena’s juggling running her dad’s business and moving on from the ex who asked for a trade to LA and basically built a life without her. She’s not pining, she’s done with long distance and determined to never let herself come second again. Brooks? He’s back in Oakwood Bay and ready to give his football career one last shot, with the goal of playing for his old team in LA.

They meet by accident, strike a deal to fake date for the cameras, and instantly fall into that slow-burn, charged dynamic that I eat up every time. Brooks is golden retriever energy to his core, sweet, flirty, supportive, and absolutely gone for Siena. The problem? Their fake relationship has an expiration date. Siena made it clear she won’t do long distance again, but Brooks? Oh, he’s not having it. From the moment they start, he’s on a mission to make her fall for him, and he’s not subtle about it.

Their chemistry is off the charts, the emotional beats hit just right, and the tension between what they want and what they think they can have? Delicious. And Siena’s late-book conversation with her mom? Had me in tears. Quiet, beautiful, and the emotional payoff this story deserved.

If you’re into:
✨ Fake dating with an expiration date that doesn’t stand a chance
✨ Retired athletes chasing second chances (on and off the field)
✨ Determined golden retriever heroes who won’t back down
✨ Small-town charm with big heart

Then Only Between Us is exactly the kind of cozy, swoony romance you’re looking for. 4 stars from me, emotional, sweet, and such a strong second entry in the Oakwood Bay series. Bring on book three.

Thank you Ellie and Atria for this ARC - it was a gem!

I would like to start off by thanking NetGalley, Atria publishing and Ellie K. Wilde for providing me with an ARC of Only Between Us. After finishing Only In Your Dreams I could not wait to read more by this author.

I absolutely adored this book!! I am a complete sucker for fake dating and Ellie delivered on this one. I was interested from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how this relationship unfolded. This book had me kicking my feet laughing at times, and flushed at others. The spice was to die for and Brooks is a complete cinnamon roll of a book boyfriend. His touch her and die attitude is chefs kiss! Can we also talk about how much he loves his dog?I can not wait to read more from Wilde and hope she continues in this world I’ve grown to love!

Patiently awaiting for July 8th so I can pick up my book trophy!

A solid 4.5 ⭐️ and 4 🌶️.

⭐️I enjoyed the writing style and also found the dialogue to narrating balance perfect for my personal preference.
⭐️ I liked the timing of the first spicy scene (I think it’s around 30% if I remember correctly).
⭐️I was able to relate to Siena in many ways. Her struggle to ask for & accept help and being part of #deaddadclub. I really really loved how the memories of her dad, her thoughts about him, etc. were written. It had emotion and it was written in a way that made me feel “happy” (like, remember the good times). Sometimes in books with a parent who has passed, it’s so sad and it makes it hard for me to read. Reading about Siena’s dad made me remember mine in all of the good ways.
⭐️ The banter between characters ranged from funny, spicy, sweet, cheesy, and again, relatable. I loved Siena’s banter with her parents & family friends, it felt very realistic. I love Siena and Brooks’ banter with each other. It was occasionally cheesy but it was never too much cheese lol.
⭐️ I think the spicy scenes were well written. I enjoyed them and think the timing of them was great. (Also, Brooks sure has a way with words 👀🌶️)
⭐️ I like that Siena is a strong woman who CAN do things herself- but with Brooks, she doesn’t have to.
⭐️ I liked all of the characters and their traits. I think they were well written and developed.

All in all, I seriously enjoyed this story. If I had to find one complaint, I could say it’s slightly lengthy but honestly I’m unbothered by that. I would absolutely recommend this to any sports romance lover.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this!

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely in my top reads for the year! While I was reading, someone commented, "whatever you're reading must be good because you're smiling so much." I'm a stoic reader (I can read some seriously questionable fanfic with zero reaction, but this book had me laughing and smiling and tearing up.

I am by no means a football girlie, but after I read the first book in the Oakwood Bay series, I knew I had to read this one too. Brooks was such a sweetheart (agreeing to fake date the FMC in book 1) and I couldn't wait to read his story. Brooks is absolutely a golden retriever but the MOUTH on him. Oof.

Anyway. Siena needs money to keep her family business afloat, and Brooks needs a girlfriend to make his NFL comeback. It seems mutually beneficial, but they both have scars from their pasts that keep getting in the way when they start catching real feelings.

These characters feel so REAL. They make mistakes and feel their feelings and find their way together. Brooks and Siena's relationship is so, so CUTE and sweet and I adored every second of it!

I love this series and can't wait for the next installment. (I hope it's Parker and Summer!!)

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys spicy (there are some well written spicy scenes) contemporary romance with a lot of banter and humor and feelings. If you're hesitant because of the football player on the cover, don't be! It's not very sporty.

Thanks to Atria books for the ARC!

Former NFL pro Brooks Atwood is ready to make the comeback of the year—that is, if he can convince his old team that he’s family-friendly and ready to settle down. Siena Pippen is just trying to keep her family’s struggling business is afloat. So, when a picture of their accidental meeting generates some serious buzz, the two stage a faux-mance for the decades, convinced it will get them both what they need. However, the one thing they actually need most? Each other.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a fake-dating romance I didn’t like. And this was no exception. Brooks is the charming, sculpted, larger-than-life hero you want in a good romance read, and Siena is sharp and quick-witted, easily holding her own on the page. Brooks’ desire for a comeback is explored thoughtfully and carefully—he wants it for reasons beyond the fame and fortune, which makes him both interesting as a character and more relatable. Siena’s unique upbringing highlights how sometimes our families are the ones we choose, and her history truly shapes the way she thinks and behaves in a way that makes her come off the page. Their relationship progresses at a pace that feels just right, constantly toeing the invisible line of “Is this real, or is it only part of show?” The dual point of view allows the reader to get a better understanding of each of the main characters, an author Ellie K. Wilde successfully establishes distinct voices for them, making it so that a Brooks chapter reads differently from a Siena chapter, which I appreciated. She also tackles the challenges distance can pose in a relationship, addressing Siena’s hesitance to go long-distance from a multitude of angles beyond just the simple “it’s too hard!” While this is definitely a book that might make you blush to read it public, it’s the perfect breezy beach read for a lazy summer day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75

Fake dating reigns supreme as the best dating trope you can’t change my mind. If you love sports romance, fake dating, and the MMC engaging in some hardcore yearning, this one is for you. Overall it was a lot of fun and enjoyable to read. I liked that there wasn’t really any of the miscommunication troupe which can sometimes happen in fake dating, and the characters helped each other navigate through their own problems. I loved sienna as a character, I enjoyed how her history of being a foster child helped her to develop into an optimistic and confident person. It was a smidge long for a romance novel, but lots of fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

We meet Brooks in Book 1 of Oakwood Bay, I absolutely loved the look into this charming, hot, and flirty man. THE MOUTH ON HIM!!! Golden retriever personality, rottweiler in the sheets lol. We meet Siena, she's a character with depth you don't expect. She's sunshine personified, she cares about her family and friends, but she has her own trauma that prevents her from also putting herself first.

I loved this hate-to-love, fake dating, sports romance. ELLIE NEVER MISSES! She wrote two incredible characters who want to show they are more than their circumstances, but Brooks and Siena deal with this in completely different ways. I loved the yearning, denial, and spicy moments between them. My heart was aching for them to be together but the way they fall in love is perfect. It's so true to who they are and it shows their growth as people.

This was a fun fake dating romance that had a lot of swoony moments. I love a good sports romance with a slow burn, and this book served. The only critique I have is that once they finally got together, the spice gave me the ick. To be fair, I am easily turned off by over the top spice. If that’s your thing, you will LOVE this book! Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this arc!

3.5⭐️

I’m bummed to say this, but I don’t think this book was for me! I’m giving it 3 stars because I think there will be people who enjoy it, it just didn’t stack up to similar tropes/stories I’ve read. I love a spicy, flirty sports romance, but it needs to be balanced with the love story. For my personal taste the spice outweighed the storyline. Brooks and Sienna had some sweet moments, but i was ready to move onto to my next read once this was over and the story didn’t really stick with me.

This book was so much fun. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and that is what initially drew me to this book. I hadn't read Ellie Wilde before, but I will be reading her again. I loved this book. It was a delicious slow burn. I loved the banter and the chemistry between Siena and Brooks was off the charts, but because this was an enemies to lovers, fake dating, one bed book, we were taken on a ride before they finally got together. What I really loved about this story was that I understood why they fell in love. Some books want to get to the spicy parts immediately and they leave me wondering why the characters even like each other let alone love each other. This was not a book like that. I completely undertstood why Brooks and Siena were the perfect couple and fell in love even though it took them a little while to see it themselves. They understand each other's trauma and they complete each other. I was rooting for them from the beginning. The professional athlete trope just added to the appeal of this book. I would recommend it to any romance reader.

Only Between Us is my first book by Ellie K. Wilde and it won't be my last! Brooks is an absolute sweetheart and Siena is the perfect woman to make him fall. I loved their banter, their growing friendship, and the steam between them when they finally gave in to their connection. All of the side characters were excellent and I can't wait for Parker and Summer's story (please tell me they get their own!).

I am not going to lie, it physically pains me that I didn't love this book. I am an Only in Your Dreams stan, I arc read it twice, you'll find me in anyone's comments recommending it. To say I was excited to land an ARC for Only Between Us is an understatement, and I even held off on reading it until closer to the pub date instead of devouring it immediately.

I've thought a lot about why the book didn't click with me the way the first Oakwood Bay book did, and I think it is because this book is very, very focused on the FMC (Siena) and the MMC (Brooks). They are good characters, maybe even great ones, but some of the real heartbeat of the first book is in the broader friend group and how they interact with the main characters. Two of that group reappear in this book for bigger stretches--Parker and Summer--who will obviously get their own love story, but they aren't a sustained part of the plot. We're introduced to some additional characters as well, and when they (and all the rest) are involved, the book picked up a lot for me.

I think one of the reasons that I love interconnected standalones is because you tend to see world building around friends/families/coworkers, and that pays off in a richer story. I'm not sure that Brooks and Siena's story had enough tension to move the plot forward for most of the first two-thirds of the book and without the outside characters it gets a bit repetitive.

Now, this makes it seem like I hated the book, which is absolutely not true. It's a very solid romance, with two characters that have interesting back stories. The third act is great (it almost bumped me up a star), because the tension is more real, the back stories become important parts of the current story, and we see a lot more of the main character's world outside of just their relationship.

This book lands solidly in the "I'd re-read it, but probably won't buy a physical copy" realm.

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

Thank you to Atria books for the E-ARC!
If you fancy a sports romance with fake dating, one bed, he falls first, and lots of spice, this book is for you!

Not to be labeled as your typical sports romance, both characters have depth and a heartfelt backstory. Both are seeking acceptance and finding their self-worth. They both need someone to stay. Someone to love them unconditionally.
Brooks is working on getting his NFL career back and Sienna is trying to keep her family business afloat. What starts as a transactional situationship, becomes a friendship full of unwavering trust and sizzling chemistry.
Sienna wears an anchor necklace throughout the book, and this was such a symbol of their relationship to each other. Somehow these opposites gave each other what they had always been missing. The lines blur when everything that they have been working for becomes secondary to each other.
There is great banter, off the charts sexual tension, and when the spice hits, it HITS.

Fake Dating? Sizzling hot chemistry? Off the chart banter? Yes, yes, and yes! I so enjoyed Only Between Us- Ellie Wilde has cemented herself as an auto buy author for me!