Celia Donnelly comes from a long line of strong women with bad luck in husbands. Unfortunately for Celia, she has to learn of these family traits while fleeing kidnappers through the jungles of Mexico, roping her ex-lover into protecting her teenage son, and unraveling a complicated financial mystery.

Although A Small Fortune is her first published book, Audrey Braun writes like a pro, with none of the plot glitches or clunky dialog that plagues many a debut novel. Her literary style flows gracefully without weighing down the action or distracting from the story.

The only off note is the opening scene, which seems a little benign for the darker escapade to follow – more Anne Taylor than Mary Higgins Clark. But by page 30 or so, Braun has caught her stride and the story hurtles forward, never stopping until the exciting, satisfying finale.

This may fall in the category of "beach book," but don't wait for sun and sand to read this page-turner! ( )

A Small Fortune begins a lot like a cheesy romance novel, which isn’t a surprise as the main character is an editor of said books. Believe me it does have dashes of romance here and there, but the overall concept and writing of the book is phenomenal! Braun has written herself a masterpiece and I did not expect that of a novel with palm trees and a ‘+’ sign on the cover. Our main woman Celia is a mother of one and seemingly boring wife; not without her share of affair though. Celia’s husband decides to take a spur of the moment trip to Mexico with Celia and their son but it is definitely not a dream vacation.

There were so many moments in Fortune that I braced myself for it to get bad, but it simply didn’t! I was pleasantly surprised by this and found myself finishing the book in a matter of hours. It was the fastest I have finished a book of that size in a very long time and only because of all the action, plot twists, and turns for the worst. At one point you aren’t sure who to trust anymore and then BAM! everything changes and becomes abundantly clear.

A Small Fortune will have you holding your breath, throwing the book across the room, and sitting wide-mouthed asking ‘why’ all within the first few chapters. Audrey Braun shows her talents as a writer in her very first novel and I only can hope to read much more of her work in the future! ( )

I really wasn't keen on this book. The story is barely credible and so far fetched it became laughable.

So your husband has booked a wonderful holiday in Mexico, and it is just what the doctor ordered, when you have been overstressed and your relationship is not doing so well. Off you go, and a chance encounter with a local stranger starts off a series of events, beginning with you being kidnapped and taken ransom. Or so you thought. Actually the whole thing has been masterminded by your dear husband, who is the president of a bank and proves to be a very nasty character indeed. But hey, the aforementioned local stranger is handsome and charismatic and you are both deeply in love with each other in a very short space of time. The story shifts from one location to another in a random way and the whole narrative has no flesh to it's bones. We find the "heroine" and her beau receiving ghastly injuries, but still managing to have envious sex despite the pain they are in..... and the strong pain killers matter not a jot. Somewhere in amongst it all your son deserves a mention too and is also roped in for ill treatment by his father and his unsavoury cohorts.

Things go from bad to ludicrous when it is discovered that your great grandmother loved chemistry and invented Viagra....which has made you the heir to 30 million dollars. Ah...that's why the husband is trying to kill you and has managed to fool you for 18 years...planning all this from the word go.

Sorry....but this is nonsense and I wouldn't recommend bothering with it.

This book was made available to me for an honest review. ( )

A Small Fortune is Audrey Braun's first novel and it is terrific. It is well plotted with interesting characters and plenty of suspense. Note that I received an advanced review copy of the book.

The story begins with book editor Celia Donnelly and her financial advisor husband Jonathan preparing for a vacation in Mexico. Their teenage son Oliver is traveling with them. Celia expects that the trip will help heal the wounds of her 18 year marriage. However, on arrival she finds that Jonathan is acting strangely. A few hours later Celia is lured to a beach where she is kidnapped. Believing that she was abducted at random, Celia expects that when Jonathan discovers her missing he will find her. Then she hears news of his betrayal and his interest in her inheritance from her mother.

A Small Fortune is a quick read because of the suspense. What amazes me most about the book is that it is Ms. Braun's first novel. You don't often see writing this good in a first novel. Consequently, my future expectations for Ms. Braun are high. ( )

A very good debut novel. I confess to buying this as an ebook because it was inexpensive and I was curious about the quality of books by independent authors. Well whether you call it a "beach book" or a "recreational read" it is well written and should have no problem keeping your attention. In terms of "return on your reading buck" it's an unquestionable 5 stars. Well worth it. ( )