Sucking in San Francisco

Lily Goodwill's Story, Volume 1

By: Jessica McBrayer

Narrated by: Valerie Gilbert

Working at a Suicide Prevention Center in San Francisco, Lily Goodwill thinks she's heard it all - then she gets a call from a man about to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. Something about the caller, maybe his yummy British accent or Lily's ability to understand his crushing ennui, makes her break all the rules and rush to meet him. After all, she is a vampire and if she can't talk him down she can glamour him. But things don't go according to plan.

Her caller glows with blue fire and turns out to be a vampire-hating Djinn. Suddenly, for the first time in centuries he's found something intriguing. Is Lily really a vampire with a conscience and an obsessive-compulsive disorder, involving Handi-wipes and Lysol, or is she just another bloodsucker?

Add in another vampire, with a history of female lovers stretching over three centuries, who swears he's reformed and declares his undying love for Lily. Stir in a mean pair of witches and a vicious warlock, who are staking vampires around the city and you have a recipe for riotous adventure of supernatural proportions.

Lily Goodwill is a quick thinking, smart-talking vampire who's still figuring out how she feels about dining al fresco in the City by the Bay.

©2012 Jessica McBrayer (P)2013 Jessica McBrayer

I WANT MORE!!!!!

I can not wait for audible to produce her other 4 titles!!! REALLY enjoyed this...if you love Molly Harper and Maryjanice Davidson, this is for you!! Hurry audible, PLEASE!

Valley girl narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story is entertaining, but the narrator is like fingernails on a chalkboard...the cadence is very hard to listen to.

What didn’t you like about Valerie Gilbert’s performance?

Nothing

unique

I found this book entertaining, it's focused on Lily's life, she is a vampire who also works on a suicide hotline prevention. the storyline is quite entertaining is filled with action romance and suspense. I wish a few of the decisions have been made earlier in the book then we would have gotten further. I I listened to this book on audible and the narrator did a great job however there was this weird background noise that sounded almost like a tea kettle bubbling. it ended up being quite distracting.

Good story bad recording.

Story is cute. Reader does this whisper thing which makes it hard to hear sometimes. You can tell it’s a low quality recording. But the book is good.

A Frustrating Listen

I was looking forward to a funny ' listen' but in this case, the person reading the book ruined it for me. At times I felt like she droned on to the extent that she put me to sleep. Literally. At other times, the character voices sounded similar so I wasn't sure which one was speaking. All of that made it really hard to get into the book and if anything made the book seem to go on and on forever. I think I have been spoiled by listening to readers like Barbara Rosenbalt who make all of their books lively.

A paranormal love triangle

- Josh here

Pre-review warning: This is not my normal choice of genre - I generally go for sci-fi, post-apoc, and space opera.

So, this was the first story I've ever listened to in the romance genre. Needless to say, I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. This was a fun little story that I first found out about because of Valerie Gilbert.

I selected this book based for the paranormal aspect and enjoyed that portion quite a bit. I wasn't sure how I felt overall with the love triangle and found myself routinely asking my wife if certain characteristics of the story were normal occurrences. I found myself a bit annoyed at Lily as she kept flipping between Bast and Aiden.

As a sci-fi fan, when the idea of a djinn first presented itself, I found myself picturing the djinn from the movie "Wishmaster". It was fun to watch certain things happen at his whim as he tried to sew some chaos at various points of the story. Not gonna lie, I found it a bit creepy when he first materialized in Lily's room and then crawled into bed with her. The tension between them was very apparent throughout the story. The vampire-staking serial killer was fun as it was blended with the witches and djinn.

Overall, I will give this a 4/5 for my first voyage into the romance genre. Valerie did a fantastic job with the narration and I can see why she is my wife's favorite narrator.

Lovely Story/Incredible Author

This first book in the "Sucking Series" is a wonderful story about the love-life and life-life of Lily Goodwill, a gentle vampire, living in present day San Francisco. Filled with compelling San Francisco characters and an intriguing plot, this is far more than a feel good story this is a lived good story. I highly recommend it.

Story was ok but the narrator ruined it

The story was ok but the narrator ruined it. It was way over done with breathy whispering voice when it wasn’t needed. On a positive note I listen to audio books to go to sleep and it usually takes about an hour. This narrator put me to sleep in about 3 minutes of listening.

Good, worth the credit

it kept me interested, but I don't think I will listen to it again. the narrator paused dramatically a little too often.

Can I get a second helping?

What did you love best about Sucking in San Francisco?

I loved all of the main characters. I loved the vivid descriptions of the beauty of San Francisco. I loved the story line. It wasn't just "Oh Lily can't decide which man she wants." It was an adventure all around!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Helena, because she is amazing.

Which character – as performed by Valerie Gilbert – was your favorite?

Meredith.