REVIEW: Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde

Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde Fake dating. NFL drama. And maybe a romance that’s more real than either of them expected…

Brooks Attwood is back from a career-threatening injury and desperate for a second chance on the field. But a viral selfie with Siena Pippen—ex of the league’s most notorious player—throws his comeback plans completely off script.

Siena wants nothing to do with football drama… or exes. But when Brooks needs a “fake girlfriend” to save his career, and Siena sees a chance to help her family’s business, sparks fly in ways neither of them planned. The longer they pretend, the harder it is to ignore that this fauxmance might just be the real deal.

Tropes I enjoyed:

• Sports romance
• Fake dating
• Opposites attract / enemies-to-lovers banter
• Family stakes & legacy
• Media chaos

Brooks and Siena are fiery, witty, and completely magnetic. Their slow-burn romance hits all the right notes: chemistry, banter, and that “could this actually be real?” tension.

ONLY BETWEEN US is about second chances, trust, and finding love when life doesn’t go as planned. It’s about vulnerability, letting go of pride, and the courage it takes to open your heart—even when your world is being watched by millions.

And through the chaos of fame and football, it reminds us that sometimes the best plays are the ones you never see coming.

Book Info:

Publication: July 8, 2025 | Atria Books | Ghosted #1

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 plan: 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.