This was such a fun and enjoyable romance! I loved watching Brooks and Siena fall in love and deal with their own battles, the character development was great. This is what romance books are about and I cannot wait for the next release Ellie K Wilde puts out!

🌟Fake Dating
🌟Sports Romance
🌟He Falls First

This was my first book from this author, and I read it as a standalone.
There was a few moments when I got confused as to the side characters, and who was who, other than that, I think it works as a standalone.

If somebody showed me the cover and told me I’d be crying for 20 minutes straight during a spicy scene, I would’ve laughed in their faces, but here we are!!!

I really enjoyed the depth of these characters, their emotions, their backstory. Even though the romance was a bit of a slow burn in my opinion, it had far more depth than most sports romances I’ve read recently. The characters fight to build a strong relationship despite everything. Their fighting/bickering isn’t fighting each other but fighting to understand each other.

I’ll definitely be reading the first book !

The connection between the protagonists is intense—raw, complicated, and undeniably magnetic. The male lead is the embodiment of a morally grey character: possessive, flawed, yet fiercely devoted. Their relationship unfolds with a tension that is both deeply romantic and psychologically complex, keeping readers on edge and emotionally invested.

Wilde’s writing is evocative and immersive, striking a careful balance between darkness and intimacy. The emotional stakes feel real, and the characters’ inner struggles are portrayed with depth and nuance.

Only Between Us is not just a romance—it’s a study in emotional intensity, and what happens when two people see the darkest parts of each other and still choose to stay

*Only Between Us* is a beautifully tender story that explores the messy, complicated, and ultimately rewarding journey of building trust and opening your heart again. Ellie K. Wilde has crafted a slow-burn romance that feels incredibly personal, grounding the characters in realistic emotions and life circumstances that make their story resonate beyond the page.

The two leads are thoughtfully developed, with layered backstories that unfold naturally over time. I loved the quiet intimacy between them — the way their connection grew not from grand gestures, but from small moments of understanding and vulnerability. It's a love story built on trust, patience, and mutual respect, which gave it a refreshing authenticity.

That said, the pacing occasionally felt uneven. There were stretches where the emotional weight was heavy but the plot movement was slow, which made the story feel slightly longer than it needed to be. A few secondary storylines could have used more attention or resolution to fully round out the narrative.

Even with those minor drawbacks, the overall tone of the novel is tender and hopeful. Wilde's writing captures the little things — a lingering glance, an unspoken word, a quiet act of kindness — that make falling in love feel both fragile and inevitable. It's a story for readers who appreciate romance that simmers rather than explodes, and who enjoy character-driven journeys filled with heart.

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**Final Thought:**
*Only Between Us* is the kind of story that sneaks up on you—quiet, patient, and full of warmth. While it isn’t without a few bumps along the way, its honest portrayal of love and healing is sure to leave a lasting pawprint on the hearts of readers who believe the best relationships are built one small moment at a time.

Brooks and Siena own my whole heart! Brooks is such a boyfriend goals kind of MMC- from his softness and insecurities to his hotness and talent while Siena is an absolutely strong women, go-getter who was strong enough to speak up for herself and absolutely sacrificial for the good of the people in her life. The plot twists, sizzling moments, and side characters all combined together to make a love-filled book! It felt a bit similar to other love stories in the genre however and that slight put me off but at the end of the day, I recommend the book especially if it’s for a quick, light read!

Siena and brooks give me butterflies. This book had me giggling and turning pages at lightning speed. The writing was easy to read but disruptive enough to keep me pulled in. I’m just hoping for a third book for this series

A very spicy sports romance with a fake dating troupe. He is definitely a cinnamon roll male, and she is a fun, slightly rebellious character. There is a lot of smut with a lot of dirty talking for smut readers.
I liked the book. Although there were some parts that seemed a bit long, the story overall was sweet.

Ellie has created another fun-filled sports romance with some of my favourite tropes that I eat up every time (fake dating, touch her and die, obsessed MMC, he falls first).
Brooks is an injured NFL player looking to get signed to his dream team and Sienna is a lover of football (thanks to her dad) but not football players (since her ex is an NFL star). But against her better judgement Sienna joins Brooks in a fake-dating scenario to benefit them both. There's no way she would fall for the charming, hilarious, "bad boy" pro-athlete, right?
"Only Between Us" was well-written and captivating dual-POV sports romcom. I felt that both characters had good arcs, especially Sienna who really opened up, and their banter was off the charts -- in the beginning. Like others have mentioned, I felt it dragged on at the end and there was some miscommunication between them that dragged. Despite the slower pacing in the latter half, I still like the characters so much that I read this in one sitting. There was tension, drama, banter, and some extra spicy content.

How can you go wrong with a fake dating sports romance?! Not sure you can do that wrong. But either way, this was done right!! So much chemistry between the main characters. It was also emotional! And the spice…. She be spice-ing. Yes please.

The story of Brooks and Siena is full of heart and full of heat. ♥️🌶️

Siena and her dad loved Huskies football and attended every game together. Wanting to feel close to him on the second anniversary of his death, she snuck onto the Huskie field. What happened next was the universe creating her happily ever after with a guiding hand from her dad.

Only Between Us is a story of loyalty, perseverance, friendships, dreams and love.

I didn’t want their story to end and may this serve as a plea to Ellie K. Wilde for more Siena and Brooks.

I’m excited for the world to meet Siena and Brooks on July 8th. I’ve already preordered a signed copy because these two are a treasure to forever be in my library.

“You go left” 💋

5⭐️ no question! This sequel in the Okawood Bay series had me locked in almost immediately. I’ll preface this by saying that sports romances typically aren’t my favorite genre, however I was pleasantly surprised to be completely smitten with this book despite my bias going in.

🔥The banter and chemistry between Siena and Brooks was so good! Seriously, top tier banter. It totally had me smiling and squealing like a school girl while reading it.

Of course the fake dating trope is predictable, but that’s what makes it a fun read. It’s all about the journey.

It was also extremely refreshing to have a FMC who is in her 30s. 🙌

I liked the first book in the series, but absolutely loved this one. It’s definitely worth the read! 🩷

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Ellie K. Wilde for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved everything about this book!!! Please keep the story going with Parker and Summer we need to know how it ends.
highly recommend this book- great beach read, you won’t regret it

Holy smokes. This book took me by COMPLETE surprise in all the best ways. I can confidently say this is a 4 star read because Ellie Wilde really blew my socks off with this book.

I love a good football romance and this book stood out to me because it includes a lot of football. We get training, recovery, scrimmages, the whole nine yards! I know, I'm not funny but I had to make the pun anyway. This book was centered around romance but Siena and Brooks both had their individual plots which blew me away. The complexity of emotions and the vulnerability UGH! It's enough to make a grown woman weep.

Now the smut in this book? my goodness. I'd say I'm comfortable with smut...miss ellie had me clutching my pearls & blushing while alone in my own home. It was absolutely DIVINEEEEE.

If you want an emotionally complex yet fun football romance....please do yourself a favor and read this book.

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book!

I thought this book was just okay. Personally the spice was a little too much for me, and I'm not into booty stuff. But even with all that aside, it just didn't flow right for me. The whole "problem" in the book seemed so small and trivial and it was in fact fixed with a single conversation. The book and synopsis makes it seem like she doesn't want to date athletes again because of her ex (who, btw, isn't the devil incarnate the synopsis will make you imagine), but really she just doesn't want to do long distance. Which, um, I mean, easy fix, no? And I also recently read a much better book about a couple trying to make it work and STRUGGLING through long distance so maybe that's why this one just fell flat for me. Because that other book had *ahem* valid reasons they couldn't relocate to be together but still wanted to FIGHT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP. That's what I want to see, not "too hard, let's not even try". This couple went from hatred to attraction at warp speed and then hung out at that level for a whole 50% of the book until the simple aforementioned conversation fixed everything,
Okay, it sounds like i hated this book lol but I really didn't. I liked Siena and the football aspect and their reasoning behind fake dating (ehhh kind of haha). But after reading some books that are comparable but BETTER, this one just failed to hit the mark for me. If I read it at a different time, I feel like I would have liked it better.
Thanks NetGalley, for the book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Only Between Us is a spicy and emotional romance that pulled me in from the start. The characters felt real, and their connection was both intense and believable. While some parts moved a bit slowly, the payoff was worth it. I have read many fake dating, sports romances and this is among the better ones.

When reading Only In Your Dreams, I really hoped Ellie K. Wilde would write a Brooks centered book, not knowing that Wilde had in fact already written Brooks’ book and I just had no idea.

I truly enjoyed this and was swooning in various moments between Brooks and Siena. I adored them together and individually, and I have to say that their individual arcs are some of the strongest arcs I’ve read in a romance book in a while. It made the romance all the better having a grasp of what they are going through as characters and understanding why they match so perfectly well.

I was kind of comparing this to Only In Your Dreams, and while I do think I liked the romance and plot more in Only Between Us, I had a hard time getting into the standalone sequel. I think I was initially turned off of how fast everything was happening between the main characters, but I stayed and ended up being an enjoyable read!

I can’t wait to read the third book of the series and what Ellie K. Wilde has planned!

This might just be my new all-time favorite book couple. Siena and Brooks are pure perfection—both in character and story arc. Bravo, Ellie K. Wilde. This was my first time reading her work, and it definitely won’t be the last. Wilde has an incredible gift for building tension and driving the story forward without relying on the overblown drama that many writers fall back on. It’s clear she crafted this book with care—it flows effortlessly, striking a balance between grit and lightheartedness that makes it both compelling and hopeful. And the chemistry? Absolutely top tier. Masterfully done.

oooooh Ellie Wilde, the queen of spice! I enjoyed this book alot. It was a quick spring break read. Sports, spice, and love!

This was a cute rom com! I thought the diologue was a bit juvenile at times, and the character development wasn’t groundbreaking but it was still a good quick read.

A much stronger sequel with great chemistry and heart. "Only Between Us" by Ellie K Wilde, releasing July 8, 2025, is a definite improvement over the first book in the series. The writing feels more polished and the pacing smoother, which made for a much more enjoyable read.
The story follows Brooks Attwood, a former pro football player trying to make a comeback after a career-threatening injury, and Siena Pippen, the ex of another high-profile NFL player. When a viral media blunder leads people to believe they’re a couple, they agree to fake date for the sake of their careers. While fake-dating is a well-worn trope, Wilde brings something fresh to it with witty dialogue, sizzling chemistry, and emotional moments that felt much more earned this time around. The relationship between Brooks and Siena builds nicely, with plenty of tension, humor, and heartfelt moments. I loved how their connection progressed from something fake into something real, and the emotional depth added another layer to the romance. The NFL backdrop and the pressure Brooks faces in his comeback also added a nice touch of drama without overshadowing the relationship. The pacing is much quicker than the first book, and Wilde's writing is much smoother, making it easy to get lost in the story. The romance is steamy, fun, and sweet, with just the right mix of tension and heart. If you’re a fan of steamy sports romances with a fake-dating twist, this one is definitely worth the read.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for the chance to read this book in advance.