Thank you netgalley and atria books for the eArc!

I loved Ellie Wilde's first book so I was super excited to get the ARC for this-it was totally worth the wait! Only Between Us follows Brooks Atwood who was a former NFL star who retired hurriedly after an injury and some negative publicity. However Brooks realizes that he's not ready to give up on his dream and is working hard to get back into the NFL and sign with a team. Then enters our FMC, Siena. Brooks and Sienna have an unexpected and tense first meeting that results in a lot of PR attention. The kind of attention that just might help Brooks get back to NFL status. So he pitches Siena the idea: put aside their initial dislike and fake date. The goal? To use fake dating to get Brooks his NFl offer and Siena to be able to bring in some profit from the media attention.

As their fake dating scenario moves forward, they realize that maybe they initially misjudged each other. Maybe they are a lot more alike than they thought and maybe they're more than fake.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was easy to follow. I liked how the tension and banter between the two played out. I liked that Siena was quirky and Brooks was sweet. They had a really good dynamic together and their friends folded seamlessly into the story. It did feel a little long at parts but overall it was a fun spicy, sports romance with fake dating that I recommend!

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When I saw Ellie post that this ARC was on NetGalley, I couldn't click "request" fast enough! I absolutely loved Only In Your Dreams last year—it was a 5-star read for me, and this one was no different.

Brooks is a top-tier man! He cares for Sienna so deeply and is genuinely the sweetest person—not just to her, but to everyone he cares about.

And Sienna? She’s fierce, independent, and incredibly kind. I loved her!

Tropes:
✔ Fake Dating 👏
✔ Banter for days
✔ CHEMISTRY so good, it was criminal 🔥
✔ Football Hero 🏈💖
✔ Hurt + Comfort
✔ ANGSTTTTTT


Thank you, Thank you Thank you to Atria Books & Ellie K. Wilde for inviting me to read this early via NetGalley!

I want to first of all say a big thank you to netgalley and atria books for the wonderful privilege given to me to be an advanced reader for this beautiful book. Only between us was a sweet and swoonworthy read, I enjoyed every single bit of the book. The banter was Witty and flirty and the the characters development was chef kiss. I love the fmc sassy mouth and the mmc sweet looking ass as described in the book, it was a great read and I couldn't keep the book down, I ate the story all up . I so much love the sienna and brook love story it was beautiful written and put together. Overall I will recommend this book to the hopeless romantic and those who just can't get enough of beautiful love stories.

4.5 stars 🌟 I LOVED IT! Brooks is the golden retriever boyfriend we want in life!! The chemistry and banter between Brooks and Siena was undeniable.

What to expect:
- fake dating
- slow burn
- he falls first
- football romance

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this so slowly - and not because I didn’t like it! I was actually enjoying it and wanted to make it last ❤️

I liked this one even more than the first book in the series. Brooks was awesome - the perfect blend of sweet and filthy. I loved Siena’s weirdness and feistiness - her insecurities made sense with her background, but it was fun to watch Brooks slowly break down all her walls. I do think she needed to talk to her Mom years before, that miscommunication was silly - but it created the conflict in the book so I’ll let it go.

Please, please, please let book three in this series be Parker and Summer! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the advanced copy of this one.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Ellie K. Wilde for providing me with this eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will never get tired of football romance it seems. Adding fake dating (one of my favorite tropes) to the mix? Immediately yes.

Now I have not read the first book in this series, but I’m pretty sure the author set them up as standalones because I read this one on its own and it was perfectly fine. The characters were so lovable. I adored the MMC being a secret softie. Brooks has a german shepherd and cries over animal shelter commercials. He’s also hilarious, genuine, and kind, but when he’s in bed… bro is a freak !! And I loved it. The spice scenes were genuinely some of the hottest ones I've read in a while. As for the FMC, gotta love Tall & Curvy rep! Siena was also a very confident woman which is so refreshing to read about. The two had insane chemistry inside and outside of the bedroom and were a very mature couple!

Plot kept me interested and entertained, the side characters were hilarious and well rounded, and overall I just adored the balance of cute, hot, and serious in this book – being able to convey the emotions of Brooks’ injury and recovery, getting cheated on, death of a parent, and the weight of feeling obligated to do something for someone you love. I felt as though the topics were handled so well and just made the novel have so much more depth. I have no complaints even about the ‘third act breakup’ because it was insanely realistic for the characters and was handled in a way that didn’t irritate me like many other breakups do.

Definitely recommend this one!

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this was a flawless execution of it. Brooks Atwood is one of my favorite book boyfriends and his chemistry with Siena was perfect! The spice was fantastic but this book wasn’t just spice, it also contained tender moments and fantastic character development. I loved this book so much, I couldn’t physically put it down and was constantly thinking about the characters when I wasn’t reading. 10/10!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you so much to Atria for this advanced reader copy of Only Between Us via Netgalley!

Ellie Wildes’ books just keep getting better and better!

This book follows Brooks Attwood wanting a second chance in the NFL and entering a fake relationship to rehabilitate his image.

From the start Brooks and Siena have amazing undeniable chemistry as a couple and you root for them to be together from the start. Ellie has a way with reading where you physically can’t put the book down and the romance is sweet but has just enough spice. I can’t recommend reading this when it comes out more!!

Never read this author before but it didn’t disappoint. Spicy, fake dating, hockey romance. Blurred lines, TATTOOED alpha male (who wants to take care of FMC)…yes, please!

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I requested this book on NetGalley on a whim after seeing the adorable cover, and I absolutely loved the story!
This is the second book in this series and while it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with book 1 because the story is great (obviously) and you get a feel for their friend circle!
Brooks was seen in book 1 but he was a little bit of an aloof character. I looooved getting to know him, seeing his dreams and how hard he works for them, and watching his relationship with Siena flourish. They had the best chemistry! Their banter was top tier. And seeing them grow, confronting their fears (personally and professionally), and finding their happy ending was a journey I 100% will be returning to again and again.
I encourage anyone to read this story if you love seriously good banter, delicious spice, and flawed but beautiful characters who will fight for what they want.
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author Ellie Wilde for an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own and I can’t wait to read book 3!

Thank you so much for the ARC Copy NetGalley, the publishers
I haven’t heard of this series before and glad I found this one here! I can’t wait to read the first book! The MMC, was so amazing and the FMC, was great too! She had sass. I love a Fake dating trope. The MMC fell
First and I love that! 5 stars!

😍NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND UNLOCKED😍

Brooks Atwood is a former NFL star struggling to get back onto his former team, the Rebels, after a significant injury and bad publicity. Siena Pippins, an independent and determined woman running her family’s small business, wants nothing to do with the sports world after the breakup with her NFL player ex-boyfriend.

After Brooks runs into Siena (literally) and accidentally posts a selfie on social media, the pair finds themselves in a PR whirlwind. Brooks and Siena decide to put their mutual disdain for each other aside and fake date until Brooks gets signed by the Rebels, and Siena can make enough money from the publicity to help keep herself afloat.

However, as time went on, they both soon realized their first impressions of each other were flawed. Will Brooks be able to catch Siena, or will they fumble their relationship?

Only Between Us is the swoon-worthy second book in the Oakwood Series; however, it can also be read as a standalone.

Thank you to @elliekwildeauthor , @atriabooks and @netgalley for the free ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you love…
🔥 Open Door Spice
🏈 football romance
✨Meet Cute Gone Wrong
❤️ Fake dating
💕 He Falls First and Harder
💘Hate to Love
😍 Banter, Banter and More Banter
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒found family
☀️Tattooed golden retriever MMC
🛏️ One Bed
💕lovable side characters
🐕 Cute German Shepherds

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for an advanced copy of this book,
Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde is the 2nd book in the Oakwood Bay series. I adored the first book and the second was every bit as good. The MMC, Brooks was so adorably sweet and the FMC, Siena was sassy. They were perfect together. Fake dating is always a fun trope and it’s done really well here. I love when the MMC falls first and Brooks fell hard and fast. I also appreciate that their love story had some ups and downs but no miscommunication or 3rd act breakup. I can’t wait to read the next book, which I’m hoping is Parker and Summer’s story!
4.25⭐️

Review: Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde
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An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Only Between Us is a fun sports romance with some quirky moments that added charm and kept things light. The characters were likeable and easy to root for, with a sweet dynamic that made their connection feel genuine. While the storyline was somewhat predictable, it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. It’s a cozy, feel-good read perfect for fans of lighthearted romance with just the right amount of emotional depth.

If you're looking for a sweet, easy-to-read romance with a sports backdrop and endearing characters, this one's worth picking up!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC - def appreciated!

Read this in a couple of solid couch rots - very easy to read.

If you’ve read Only In Your Dreams, it’s right up your alley, tho not quite as good. Fake dating trope isn’t my fave but these characters made me love it anyway.

Snatch this up if you’re into small town friend groups, varied smut (loved the diff scenarios in this one) and a little angst before your happy ending.

This was a great follow up to the first book in the series - which I also enjoyed a lot - I could see the growth in the writing and felt it was quite elevated. It took me a minute to get into the book but once I hit that 20% and the characters started fake dating I was all in. Brooks was so swoony and sweet and I loved his praise kink, his insecurities and how he loved and fell for Siena. Siena wasn’t my favourite FMC and her reluctance to solve their third act conflict was frustrating even though I understood it. This book was also very hot and I enjoyed their kinks. Definitely recommend this book as well as the first in the series. Also I cannot wait for what I hope will be Parker and Summer’s book - the set up for that has me so hyped!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Listen to me. I didn't think this book would get me like it did but it GOT ME. I was expecting regular, run of the mill sports romance. I read this entire book in a DAY. I've read a lot of romance novels recently and I was expecting the formula to be followed. And don't get me wrong, the narrative was pretty par for the course when it comes to romance.

There was insta-lust and the characters did fall in love quickly. However, I think that Siena's reservations and reasons for those reservations were extremely valid. Her backstory was unique, not just a "my ex cheated and now I'm sworn off football players". I like that neither one of the main characters compromised what they wanted for the other, but rather made a mature decision and TALKED. This book actually made me shed a tear which is extremely rare so props to Ms. Wilde.

I think the side characters were fun and unique too. Shyla and Rosie were adorable, and it's not often you see military wife rep in a book like this, which was nice. And Summer and Parker? Ma'am PLEASE let that be the next book in line! I am SAT and SIGNED UP for their novel!! I totally called that they were in love and um Parker is...whew. I can't say anything PG so I will have to move on.

5/5 for me!

Only Between Us by Ellie Wilde is an enemies-to-lover, fake-dating, football romance. It is book two in the Oakwood Bay series and can be read as a standalone.
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🌶🌶🌶

Absolutely loved it. He is insane in the best way. She is so determined to not give him an opportunity.
They start hating each other but.. Fate had other plans.
His journey is really short, he quickly overcomes his past.
Her journey and development is amazing. she grows so much along the way, she slowly learns to trust, to love, to live.
Ellie Absolutely nailed it and you can feel how the fmc is feeling every step of the way.
It completely recommend this story, you won't regret it!

I've had the pleasure of Arc reading this book thanks to Atria Books and netgalley.

Like a 3.5 for me. I read the first one and I liked this a wee bit better. Still predictable, a bit over the top but it had some sweet moments I appreciated. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc.

This book has all my favorite tropes together: spicy rom com, enemies to lovers, he falls first… and my love of a football hero comeback. Brooks is deliciously likable and Siena is so perfectly complex and strong. One of my favorite reads to date!