Space Between

Smart Girl Mafia #3

by Amiee Smith

Brit Palmer
We’re just friends.
Alex is the guy women swoon over. Gorgeous. Privileged. Reformed bad boy. Hella alpha.
But he’s not my type. I’m a left-wing, feminist with a ridiculously high IQ. I’d rather be singing a jazz tune or shopping for a pair of designer shoes to go with a couture coat. I proudly check the box: weirdo.
Yes, over the last eight years, I’ve developed an affection for him. Given the circumstances, it’s to be expected.
We grew up in the same town. We love jazz shows and Warriors basketball. We help each other out. We co-parent an adorable little dog. He’s the person I turn to when my world feels upside down.
But we’re just friends.
Oh, and there’s that piece of paper. Shh… don’t tell my friends.
Umm, maybe I secretly long to be his pretty, well-behaved housewife. Shh… don’t tell Alex.

Alex Willingham
We are not just friends!
Yeah, there’s that secret binding us. But it’s more than that. We have something.
To Brit, I’m a capitalist suit. Never mind this suit keeps a roof over her head, well-fed, and adorned in designer fashion.
My model-pretty smart girl, made me who I am. I owe so much of my success to her.
Business aside, I’m still her man. Brit just doesn’t know it yet.
I’ll hold out. Eight years isn’t really that long. (Nah, it’s really long.)
At the end of the record spinning between us, she and I both know, our happily-ever-after will be worth the wait.
We were never just friends.

A standalone West Coast romantic comedy from the sexy and indulgent world of the Smart Girl Mafia. Thirtysomethings. Smart, strong women. Hot, alpha men. Always happily-ever-after. Diversity lives here.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2019

About the author

So, I love the art of writing romance fiction. I’m a character-driven author. My stories are contemporary romance with steam, humor, and diversity. I run my business from my living room. When I am not writing and telling people about my books, I run another online business. Read lots and lots. Watch tons of TV series. Drink coffee and wine. Listen to music. Cook comforting vegetarian meals. Say prayers, meditate, and light candles. Text with my girlfriends. And try to squeeze in a walk and a shower. My sexy little stories are my attempt at making someone’s night. May you always feel loved, seen, and heard. -Amiee Smith

Reviews

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex and Britt have long been friends and when she needs to be married to get her inheritance, she asks him and he agrees to it. Mostly fake, except for his feelings and protective side, Britt has the life she wants. He helps push her to finish her degree and work with a budget, while he turns his business into a great investment. The Mafia girlfriends are sometimes clueless, but a lot of the times they are totally hilarious and close. The characters have great backstories and work together on their goals - most of the time, keeping their real marriage a secret from everyone. The storyline is a roller coaster of drama, surprises, miscommunication, secrets, tension, lots of jazz and some romance and shoes. Very entertaining ending - double the fun.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tracy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brit and Alex share a secret. Can they build a happy ever after? They are well written characters and the storyline is amazing. Great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Love Story Saga

Spanning nine years and 342 pages, Brit and Alex’s story will break your heart and put it back together again so many many times. I found the descriptions of her shopping addiction enlightening and dread-inducing; you can see the train wreck coming in her life but the only thing you can do is watch. The way these two loved each other is like no other romance I’ve read before - it’s beautiful and ‘intimate without intimacy’, and simply marvellously written.

[Magali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising from start to finish
After reading the previous book, I was very surprised to discover Alex and Brit's secret. They have a very bizarre relationship in huge denial for Brit and yet between what she says she wants and what she does there is a hell of a gap more telling and still troubling for Alex. The story is all in tension, moving and hot.
The only negative point for me is the back and forth between the present and the past which always annoys me regardless of the story.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Love2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the authors Mafia series. As I read along I find myself yearning for friends like these ladies are to one another. Alex and Brit have a long and at times crazy relationship. This book is about their navigation techniques and the outcome. Well worth your time.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[CLorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the third in Aimee Smith’s Smart Girl Mafia Series. The book can certainly be read as a standalone but because there was some overlap between the Space Between and Michael and Lilly’s story, I decided to read Simply Amazing as my precursor. Both books were fabulous. Ms. Smith has mastered the art of producing larger than life characters.but with so much humanity and heart. Alex and Britt went to the same high school (Britt’s best friend, Lynn had a crush on Nick, Alex’s older brother) but they had little contact until she became his TA in college. They bonded over jazz music and the Warriors. Like the other women in the Mafia Club, Britt is brilliant but flawed. Alex, too, has his demons….living up to is brother and parents….dyslexic and with an occasional stutter. . When Britt’s father dies and leaves her an inheritance to be accessed upon her marriage, she marries Alex and she shares part of it with him to jumpstart his business. Living a dual life, they work together but don’t tell their close knit friends or even their families that they are married. With one of the longest slow burns in history, they LONG for each other without actually articulating what is in the space between them. I was low key worried that they would never bridge those complex and tangled issues….family, addiction, uncertainty, insecurities, abandonment. Whew!!
I love how Ms. Smith gives us a brief glimpse into their HEA. I thought that maybe it was a fluke in Simply Amazing….my apologies, you know exactly what readers need….that vicarious closure!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a stand-alone, but now I want to read the rest of the series. The opening pages are some of the hottest I have ever read, besides setting up so much of the conflict ahead and before. It takes a very talented writer to pull this off. There is so much we don't know about these two people. How do they feel about each other? How do they think of and feel about themselves? How has all this come to be?
As the story progresses, we find out all of that. They share a profound love of jazz--he as an aficionado, she as a teacher, performer, and composer. They are able to help each other in various ways and get married. But they keep it secret and have long intervals where they don't communicate at all. Strange, but all the reasons come out eventually.
I can't say enough about how different and wonderful this is compared to "regular" romance books or even erotic romance books. There is something real and heartbreaking about this couple. I cried a lot, and I am not a big crier. But, I also laughed a lot--the banter with friends is great! This is also a sign of excellent writing, in my opinion.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Space Between' by Amiee Smith is the third book in her Smart Girl Mafia series and tells the story of Brit Palmer and Alex Willingham. Alex and Brit went to the same high school, but were only casual friends. Until she became his TA in college and they end up bonding over their love for jazz and the Golden State Warriors. They became fast friends and when Brit needs to get married to receive her inheritance, she asks Alex and he agrees to it. He also agrees to keeping it secret from their friends and to have no sex or intimacy. However, he Alex wishes the marriage was real but hides his true feelings from Brit and helps her have the life she wants.

Ms. Smith has written a delightful addition to her series. This book is well-written with great characters and a charming plot. The story has laughs, drama, surprises, miscommunication, secrets, tension, feisty heroines, steam, and plenty of passion. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of drama with their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kimberly Billups · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series, but that last part...

This was overall great series and I look forward to the next book. Brit and Alex definitely had a complicated relationship. In fact I found it hard to believe. This is a book and not reality so I went with it. The telling of their story from the beginning until future was a lot for me. I would have preferred it done in a more condensed manner. They went through a lot in eight years and did so without the knowledge of family and friends. This made me realize the "mafia" weren't the great friends that they claimed to be. I mean how can the most vulnerable person in your group drop out of society for 30 days and you don't realize it. The rehearsal dinner scene completely took me out. The fact that NO ONE came to Brit's aid when she was treated so poorly was reprehensible. Then to wrap it all up in a now was just too much. I still recommend the book, these are just observations that I had.

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my what an adventure this book takes you. Brit and Alex are so frustratingly good together yet they are not together even though they are married which is a farce, or is it??? You will laugh and you will cry and you will want to scream at them both for their inability to completely make their marriage real. Both have pasts with baggage and even though they only get married so Brit can inherit some money they do try to be a couple but Brit always resists making their relationship real. I loved this book and I loved Brit and Alex and was so glad they both overcame all their insecurities in life to give themselves a new start. This is my first book by Amiee Smith and I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received an arc copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Smart Girl Mafia series. You can read as a standalone but I think this series is best read in order. Alex and Brit's story is a rollercoaster of emotions. To better understand their relationship this story bounces back eight years to the start of their relationship and then moves back to present day. The author does a good job of smoothly moving from present, to the past, to present again. I laughed and cried. Brit and Alex are hot together but they both have some serious issues they need to deal with. I love this crazy group of friends. They love strongly and protect the ones they love fiercely.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hawkeye K · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I write this review I took a music note from the writer and listened to Charlie Parker with Strings, not just the first tune "Just Friends" but the whole album. Alex and Britt are an interesting couple and I think maybe one of my favorites of the four couples. The fact that it took eight long years for them to reach nirvana is amazing. The steam at the very beginning might throw you till you realize why that scene, that moment is so powerful, I laughed though at Britt woman power in deciding their future, if reality is known for one thing its nothing ever goes as planned, but love makes it worth a try.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Happyscribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an epic and all consuming, twisting, meandering, U-turning story. And it was long - so I got a chance to not make quick leaps in development, but spend time with the characters and wallow where necessary to reconcile events. Flashback/past reveals were a bit jarring but overall the story was rewarding and fulfilling.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L.C. Son · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frustratingly good

How can a love affair so frustrating be enjoyable? Well the author did it AGAIN! I was sad to end this love affair but it was worth it! Alex+Brit are annoyingly loveable. I yelled and screamed at them for the flaws I later came to love. If you can push past the frustration of their romance you’ll be a happy camper!

[Maja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but that story did not shatter my world. While I liked the first person point of view, there was too much sex in my opinion in first three chapters giving the whole point of their relationship-oh, sorry marriage.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good addition to the series. I really liked Brit and Alex together, and I loved seeing Lynn, Nick, Lilly, and Michael again. I was happy with their HEA. It would have been 5 star, but I removed one star because of the sad taint about Mia.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Manisha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book three in Smart Girl Mafia Series . This book is a must read and a page turner . Overall this book is a good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and all of Amiee Smith's books, but Space Between took it to another level, it is sweet and heartwarming and sweet. I had to read it all in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with likable characters and a very entertaining plot. I enjoyed the drama and I thought it was a very good book.

I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Reader03 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written music romance with a little mystery, romance, heat and great dialogue at times. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BusyM3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in this series Smart Girl Mafia. The story was enjoyable, the characters are likeable and fit well together. An enjoyable read.

I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but

I got really annoyed about how Alex was treated and how he treated himself. Everyone kept going on about how he tricked Brit for money. Not true. She invested in his business, and then he worked really hard to grow that business and finance her lifestyle while she was finding herself. Brit was a very difficult, whiny person with no sense of money or budget and expensive tastes. Yes she helped with sourcing clients and in the office but it’s his grit, day in day out hustle which allowed him to grow a business to 20 millions in 9 years. Let’s not forget she blew through 2 millions in 3 months. He recognized her addiction and got her help. He went to counseling for years to support her. He kept on her to finish her PhD while she wanted to get a job in retail and kept telling her to pursue the tenure track that she’s so proud of now. She never said that she wanted anything different. Just dropped him and run off to Oakland. She never clearly said she was attracted to him, nor did she say she wanted to give their marriage a chance. She kept turning him down, telling him they were just friends and that she wasn’t his type. Of course Alex made mistakes too because he should have been clearer about his feelings. But on balance he did more for her than the other way around. He could have taken the money and drop up, leaving her penniless. Sophia was rude but she’s right this group of friends is bratty, intrusive and judgmental. Jen’s issue is that she wasn’t consulted but let’s face it it’s not her business. Brit is an adult. How dare Lynn and Nick decide that’s it wasn’t a real marriage and than Alex didn’t love her? What made them an authority? Then all they did with her move, the budget etc is what Alex had been doing for 8 years. Why is it more noble coming from them? I really didn’t appreciate Emma broadcasting the fact that they slept together nor comment on the orchestra at the rehearsal dinner. Just plain rude.