Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde.

This was such a cute trip back to Oakwood, but it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. The characters are dynamic and well-rounded, making it easy to root for them from the start. I loved the blend of fake dating and “he falls first” tropes, set against the fun backdrop of a sports romance. Easy summer read with a LOT of spice.

Wilde delivers a charming and heartfelt story that’s perfect for fans of contemporary romance. I can’t wait for the third book in this series!

I really enjoyed book 1 in the Oakwood Bay series, Only in Your Dreams, so I requested Only Between Us as soon as it was available. Thank you, @atriabooks .

I was not disappointed!! How I loved this book… 😍

I’m a sucker for a pro athlete romance and a fake dating trope so this combo was *chef’s kiss* .

Siena is a really interesting character and has some past experiences that have understandably made her feel like she can’t risk her heart or let her family down.

Brooks is also dealing with some of his own bumps and bruises, literally and figuratively. He’s charming and loveable on the outside but has hidden insecurities.

I loved these two characters so much, both as a couple and as individuals. I just completely adored this story and can’t wait for book 3! (You know I love an epilogue and I LOVED this one.)

“Swim with sharks with me.” 🦈🩵

🏈 Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde

I first read Only in Your Dreams when it was indie and I instantly fell in love with Oakwood Bay and Ellie’s writing, so I went into Only Between Us with very high expectations. I’m happy to report that this book exceeded my expectations! 💋

Only Between Us is a steamy sports romance and the second book in Ellie K. Wilde’s Oakwood Bay series. It can be read as a standalone, but mentions characters and events from the first book, Only in Your Dreams.

Brooks and Siena are well-developed characters, and both experience quite a significant amount of growth throughout the story. Their chemistry was off the charts! I love the way Ellie writes banter, Brooks and Siena were chef’s kiss. The story has themes of family, friendship, grief, redemption, and second chances.

The story offers glimpses of some side characters, notably Summer and Parker. I’m very excited to see where their story goes!

What to expect:

🏈 fake dating
🏈 meet-cute turned meet-hate
🏈 hate kissing
🏈 pro sports comeback story
🏈 wild child FMC x teddy bear MMC
🏈 banter & spice

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

After I read “Only in Your Dreams” I knew that Brooks would be one of my favorite characters if he ever got his own story. I absolutely loved his comeback and overcoming. He will absolutely be one of your favorite book boyfriends. You will also fall in love with Siena our spicy FMC that is dedicated to her adoptive family and her dad’s fishing store. Their meet cute is adorable and the slow burn/fake dating trope is one of my favorite tropes. You can definitely see the love that Ellie had for Brooks and Siena. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you so much to Atria and NetGalley for this eARC!

BROOKS 👏🏻 ATTWOOD 👏🏻😅

I really enjoyed Brooks and Siena’s story! I think the insta-attraction and battle against themselves and their own honesty/acceptance was really compelling whilst balancing out the humor and personal character journeys simultaneously! I love the confidence of the characters while still demonstrating their insecurity, it really humanized them and made them far more relatable.

Overall I think I liked this better than Mel’s story, but I’m really crossing my fingers for Parker’s book!!! I think that one might do me in!

Okkkk I didn’t expect Brooks to be so incredibly 🥵🔥 but here we are. 🤭 This book had me blushing and kicking my feet! I thought it was super cute. Brooks and Siena were such fun personalities. They’re both trouble but in a good way. Their banter and chemistry was SO good. I really liked the first book in this series but this one was even better! They really felt like a good solid adult relationship like they’d actually make it if they were a couple in real life. I feel like this series deserves to be hyped more! I can’t wait for the next book 😍😍🥰
‘Swim with the sharks with me.’

Only Between Us is a steamy sports romance by Ellie K. Wilde and the second book in her Oakwood Bay series. It can be read as a stand-alone, although it mentions characters from Only in Your Dreams. The story is told in dual POV and contains profanity and sexual references and descriptions.

29-year-old Brooks Attwood has spent the past two years trying to recover and earn a spot back on the Los Angeles Rebels football team. He was a Wide Receiver for the Los Angeles Rebels football team until he had a major injury, and discovered that his girlfriend of eight years, Naomi, was cheating on him with another teammate. He was in a downward spiral of women and alcohol for six months, until he sought treatment, and then began a strict rehabilitation/training regimen. He got a job as the Wide Receivers coach at his alma mater, UOB, located in the small town of Oakwood Bay. Oakwood Bay is somewhere on the eastern coast and is one town over from Baycrest.

Brooks is in talks with his agent to get rehired by the Rebels, but the family-friendly team is concerned about his playboy image. His agent, Josh, urges him to get a fake girlfriend who fans will like in order to bolster his appeal to team management. When Brooks takes a selfie with a beautiful trespassing fan during practice at the UOB stadium and it gets shared on social media, he realizes that he’s stuck using this fan as his fake girlfriend. Surprisingly, this fan befriends his beloved German shepherd, Peter.

31-year-old Siena Pippen is a beautiful woman who is grieving the loss of her beloved adoptive father while trying to keep his bait and tackle shop, Ship Happens, afloat in the small seaside town, Baycrest. She became a viral media sensation, CeCe, for sports fans and had a mostly long-distance relationship with Tom Ivers, the quarterback for the Los Angeles Ravens football team. After they broke up, she resumed her quiet life and had a friends-with-benefits arrangement with her sometime employee and longtime friend, surfer Aiden. Siena was neglected by her birth parents and abandoned at age 13, when she was found by the couple who adopted her. She carries emotional scars and is self-reliant, riding her motorcycle when her ancient car dies.

Siena agrees to pose as Brooks’ fake girlfriend so that she can use the notoriety to get product endorsements to pay for new refrigerators at her family’s bait and tackle shop. She has wonderful memories of attending UOB Huskies games with her dad, and he was a diehard fan of Attwood. She understands the requirements for NFL players’ girlfriends and is eager to show her ex that she’s moved on too. Brooks and Siena draft a list of rules for their fake relationship, which are totally impractical for any length of time.

Slowly Brooks realizes that Siena isn’t the gold-digger that he assumed she was, nor the cheater like his ex, Naomi. While he’s determined to prove to the Rebels’ management that he’s ready to rejoin the team, he still has physical challenges and pain to deal with. As Siena helps him with all aspects of his life, he develops real feelings for her. Meanwhile Siena also falls for Brooks but is torn by her obligations to her family.

Only Between Us is a wonderful, well-written steamy sports romance which is perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Nora Everly, and Pippa Grant. The characters of Brooks and Siena are well-developed, and both experience significant growth over the course of the story. The chemistry between them is excellent, and I especially loved their banter. While some readers will read the blurb and assume that this story follows the same plotline of other fake-dating sports romances, I can promise that Only Between Us is different. The story’s overall themes of family, friendship, redemption, and second chances distinguish it from other sports romances. Additionally, the characters’ actions aren’t predictable.

There are many secondary characters in Only Between Us. The story opens with Brooks getting physical therapy from his best friend, Parker Woods, and Parker’s long-time friend and associate, Summer. Parker’s twin sister, Melody, found love in Only in Your Dreams with his childhood best friend, Zac Porter. For most of the book, I believed that Parker and Summer were romantically involved but then realized that they weren’t. Since Summer loves to surf and Siena’s friends-with-benefits’ Aiden is a surfer, I hope that there will be a future book starring Summer and Aiden.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Atria Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I made sure to have my antacids ready for the spice, and Only Between Us did not disappoint!

The novel features many of the same characters from Only in Your Dreams, but the focus is on Brooks Attwood, the retired (but trying to return to the league) football player. In his efforts to get back to his former team after an injury/retirement, Brooks learns that the Rebels don’t like the back alley hook ups that he was known for after leaving the team. He needs to come across as a family-friendly football player.

While back in Oakwood, Brooks runs into Siena Pippen. He’s mesmerized! Siena is well known on social media after her previous relationship with a different NFL star. She posts a picture of her and Brooks after their run in, and Josh (Brooks’ agent) sees how the picture of Brooks and Siena ignites excitement for Brooks’.

They agree to fake-date until Brooks’ makes it back on the team, and that’s where the story takes off! He thinks she’s a clout chaser, and she’s done with the NFL drama. But how do they really feel?

I enjoyed the banter between Brooks and Siena! Both characters are written with multiple layers that are peeled back as the story progresses. I was cheering them on, and I love how Brooks wasn’t afraid to express emotion. The story line was a solid 4.5 stars, but there were a few parts where the spice made me uncomfortable. Regardless, Only Between Us is a fun read!

4.75/5

I really loved this book! I didn’t read the first book in this series going in, but I still completely got what was happening. This book genuinely had all the feels. It had me giggling and nervous and crying. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you are looking for a sweet, fluffy romance that also does a great job dealing with complicated things like grief and self worth.

The only reason this book wasn’t a 5 star for me was because in some scenes, the characters would do one thing and then start doing another thing that would not make sense in the positions that they were said to be in previously, so I was a bit confused about how to picture it. (Hopefully, that makes sense) However, I did read an ARC so that might have been fixed between the copy I received and the finished book.

Thank you Atria for the ARC. These are my own thoughts.

This romance was so much fun! I loved the two main characters and felt that they were made for each other! The spice was amazing and made even better by the strong character development. I also loved their found family and can’t wait for the next book in the series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adored this book! From the very first page, I was hooked. Siena is such a strong, relatable heroine fierce, loyal, and dealing with heartbreak. And Brooks? Total soft hearted cinnamon roll with just the right amount of charm and vulnerability. I loved how patient,and sweet he was with her. 😍

Their fake dating setup turned into something so genuine, full of banter, tension, and emotional depth. The chemistry was undeniable, but it was the quiet, tender moments that really stuck with me. Watching them slowly fall for each other felt so natural and satisfying.

This story had everything I wanted great side characters, swoony scenes, laugh out loud moments, and a romance that made me feel every bit of it. Ellie K. Wilde wrote such a heartwarming, fun, and romantic read that I’ll definitely be thinking about for a long time.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves fake dating, small town charm, and characters that stay with you. 💖

This was such a fun read. I'm a sucker for a sports romance, and I love football, so I knew this book was going to hit for me. The chemistry between Brooks and Siena was palpable from the start. Even when they both kind of misunderstood each other and were "enemies," in the beginning, the attraction was there. I thought the Dual POV really worked in this sense. He fell first, and you can really see it in his POV, while Siena you saw her keep her guard up longer.

Besides the obvious romance plot, I liked that both main characters had some complex backgrounds. Siena was adopted as a teenager and feels like she owes it to her late father to keep his legacy alive, even if it doesn't make her happy. Brooks is trying to make a comeback to the NFL and he is pushing his physical boundaries to get there, which isn't always the best route when coming back from an injury. With Siena, his views on life are broadened to include more than professional football.

I can't wait to see what's gonna come next. Dare I say a Summer and Parker romance?

Read if you like a fake-dating sports romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book is out now!

Oh my gosh!!! Where do I even begin?!?! I am obsessed with Ellie’s writing!!!! Brooks and Siena’s story was so beautiful and I was hooked!!!

This was so cute! Was I stressed? Yes. Will I force my best friend to read this book? Also yes. I'm an absolute sucker for fake dating books, but I cannot stress how happy I am to read a fake dating book where they don't work together or have known each other their whole lives and yada yada.
Brooks is a pro football player - or he was but he decided to retire, causing his life and relationship to implode. Two years later and he wants to play football again, he wants that spark. But the one and only team he wants to play for won't touch him with the reputation he's made the 6 months after he retired. So when Siena makes a post of the two of them goes viral, Brooks's manager suggests they fake date to improve his reputation to get him back on the team.

4.5⭐️ rounded up

This first book was really good, but I loved this one! I couldn't put it down, and there wasn't a single moment it felt slow or boring to me.

Brooks is an amazing book boyfriend. What a perfect combination of confidence but vulnerability. He's confident when it counts but has fears and insecurities that help him and Siena share some special moments.

Siena is the same way. She's sure of herself but also has similar vulnerabilities, and it helped them connect immediately. There was so much chemistry from the beginning, and their journey together was fun to read. I love all the side characters, too.

Bonus points for no third act breakup (technically) and good spice! The fake dating trope wasn't anything too unique, but Ellie nailed it anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC 🤍 All opinions are my own.

What a treat!! I devoured this book. I am usually not one for spicy books, but I really enjoyed this one. While the spice was there, it didn’t overpower the story and it was good!!!
I enjoyed watching our main characters go from dislike to others, and let me tell you our man Brooks is DOWN BAD for Siena.
Overall, I truly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend! 4.25 🌟’s!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early release copy!!

"Please don't say that. I can only handle one internet crisis at a time.' I contemplate him. " Hold on-you're saying there is a decent chance I'd be better than you at throwing?"

Only between us has been one of the funniest romcoms I've read this summer! I love me a good story that can play like an actual movie with characters who we learn to love, and we see fall in love in an organic way! I loved Sienna and Brooks so much, each of them was fascinating nd so complete,x and at the same time such a simple and joyous people! I loved the motivations and the way they cared for each other and the way they dealt with their problems; they had such a sizzling chemistry, and I loved how funny they were.

Sienna was such a sweet character to discover and find out more about her, her relationship with her parents and her loved ones resonated so much with me and I just loved seeing her be around her people! GOD HER MOM AND HER AND THE FINAL CONVERSATIONS AHHH so many emotions.

For some reason, this book kept giving me how to lose a man in ten days vibes, but I was just rolling with it; it truly was such a fun experience!

Thank you Atria for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I loved Only in Your Dreams earlier this year and Only Between Us officially cements Ellie K. Wilde as an autobuy author for me.

Brooks made an appearance in Only in Your Dreams and is Only Between Us, he’s pursuing his dream of returning to the NFL. He needs to look like he’s in a committed relationship and accidentally falls into fake dating Sienna. I loved both Brooks and Sienna. They found such similar struggles in believing they deserved love. I loved how absolutely gone for Sienna, Brooks was and how they showed up for one another. This was steamy and swoon worthy with great banter! I cannot wait for the 3rd book in this series!

I am sadly DNFing this book at 28%. I want to start out by saying that I do think this book has a lot of potential to be popular, I think it just wasn't for me.

The book surrounds Brooks, a retired NFL player attempting to make a return after concussion issues ended his career, and Siena, the ex-girlfriend of the face of the NFL, who fake date in order to make Brooks more appealing to his former team and for Siena to make some money and help keep her family's tackle shop above water.

Despite knowing that this was enemies-to-lovers, which is not my favourite trope, I thought that the summary sounded interesting, and I am a sucker for fake dating. Unfortunately, I just found it very difficult to connect to the characters and, given that this is a largely character-driven book, found myself not wanting to pick the book back up.

I think Ellie K. Wilde's writing is well done, and I would be interested in giving other books by her a try! I just think a combination of me not being a football fan, plus my difficulty with the characters, just meant this wasn't my time to read this book. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys football (it deals heavily with Brooks' desire to re-enter the league) and enjoys banter between the two main characters.

Overall, I think Only Between Us has a lot of great aspects for a good romance novel, it just wasn't for me in particular.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Huge thanks to Ellie K. Wilde, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of Only Between Us! 💌

From the moment Brooks Attwood strutted onto the page in book one, I knew he needed his own story—and wow, did Ellie deliver! I adored every swoony, heartfelt, and hilarious second of Brooks and Siena’s journey. They made me laugh, cry, blush, and fall completely head-over-heels. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Their emotional depth? Chef’s kiss. And Pete the German Shepherd? Truly the goodest boy and the cherry on top of an already perfect love story 🐾💕

I’m already counting down the days until we get Parker and Summer’s story in book three! 😍