The highly anticipated sequel to the “achingly tender and deliciously sexy” (Jillian Meadows, author of Give Me Butterflies) Only in Your Dreams is a steamy, whip-smart sports romance about a former pro football star who agrees to fake date the fan-favorite ex of another high-profile NFL player so they can both save what’s most dear to them while fighting their growing feelings for each other.
After a death-defying injury sidelined him for two seasons, Brooks Attwood’s pro football comeback has hit a major snag. Naughty photos from a post-break-up bender have leaked, and they’re killing his chances with the Rebels—his old team, and the only one he wants to play on.
As he trains with the hope of being signed before the first kickoff of the season, Brooks’s plans to keep a low profile are suddenly upended when his selfie with a fiery fan goes viral, and tabloids mistake them as the football world’s newest It couple.
Turns out, Siena Pippen is the ex-girlfriend of the “face” of the League. And she wants nothing more to do with that world after being with her nightmare ex. While she and Brooks are busy blaming each other for the media circus surrounding them, NFL teams are suddenly scrambling to sign a housebroken Brooks. Meanwhile, Siena realizes that all this buzz could be the Hail Mary her family’s struggling business needs.
Together, Brooks and Siena hatch a ignore the will to kill each other and pretend to be madly in love—at least, until Brooks signs with a team. But the longer they pretend, the less fake their fauxmance begins to feel…and Brooks becomes as determined to convince Siena they’re truly meant to be as he is to land a spot on the Rebels’ roster.
After a death-defying injury sidelined him for two seasons, Brooks Attwood’s pro football comeback has hit a major snag. Naughty photos from a post-break-up bender have leaked, and they’re killing his chances with the Rebels—his old team, and the only one he wants to play on.
As he trains with the hope of being signed before the first kickoff of the season, Brooks’s plans to keep a low profile are suddenly upended when his selfie with a fiery fan goes viral, and tabloids mistake them as the football world’s newest It couple.
Turns out, Siena Pippen is the ex-girlfriend of the “face” of the League. And she wants nothing more to do with that world after being with her nightmare ex. While she and Brooks are busy blaming each other for the media circus surrounding them, NFL teams are suddenly scrambling to sign a housebroken Brooks. Meanwhile, Siena realizes that all this buzz could be the Hail Mary her family’s struggling business needs.
Together, Brooks and Siena hatch a ignore the will to kill each other and pretend to be madly in love—at least, until Brooks signs with a team. But the longer they pretend, the less fake their fauxmance begins to feel…and Brooks becomes as determined to convince Siena they’re truly meant to be as he is to land a spot on the Rebels’ roster.
Title: Only Between Us (Oakwood Bay #2)
Author: Ellie K. Wilde
Publisher: Atria
Expected Publication Date: July 8, 2025
Review:
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was introduced to Ellie K. Wilde when I received an ARC of her first book in the Oakwood Bay series, Only In Your Dreams. I tore through that book. So seeing a second installment in this series made me super excited. And that it is Brooks' story makes it even better as I fell in love with him in the first book!
Brooks Attwood is the golden retrievers of golden retrievers. He's smart, sexy, a bit cranky, and all around swoon worthy. I sympathized with his background and how it affected his views on life. He felt used and unworthy of anything but football. But when Siena Pippen comes crashing into his life, literally, things take a turn for the different. Suddenly they are in a fake relationship to help him secure a spot with his forever football team and help Siena dig herself out of the hole. But Siena's background of being abandoned by her birth parents and left to fend for herself makes her feel beholden to the parents that took her in. She's stuck in a place she doesn't necessarily want to be but feels she cannot let go of what her parents have given her.
The sexy times in this book were hot. The author ramped it up from the first book leaving behind the slow build up and going right for the punch. Wilde does them tastefully while still showing a bit of the wild side of both characters. My only issue is the use of no protection. It's never mentioned that Siena is on any type of birth control and Brooks does not use condoms so I'm shocked there was no accidental pregnancy in this book. I was actually waiting for it to happen but it never materialzed.
I loved seeing the characters reappear from the first book. It was fun to see how they were doing. Especially Parker whose story I know we get next. I cannot wait to see how that one plays out. Most of all, I enjoyed how Seina and Brooks got to know one another and how tender they were with each other. There also wasn't any beating around the bush. Brooks knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to let Siena know. She, on the other hand, had a bit of a harder time letting him in. Given her background, this was understandable.
There is a bit of a third act break up, which I'm not usually a fan of seeing .But it worked with the plot of this story.
Wilde weaves a good plot with romance and characters who are well developed. They grow and learn and are relatable. The plot is filled with swoon, sweetness, serious topics, and characters who will grab your heart. Wilde has quickly slotted herself into the favorite romance author/buy immediately catgory for me I can't wait for the next story!
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