First Kiss

Kit & Tully #1

by Mocha VonBee

Love or Music…
Which should they choose and what price will they have to pay?
When new guy, Tully, falls for sixteen-year-old Kit, he needs to find a way to win her over. Because, right now, she only has eyes for scorching hot lead-singer, Mac Whitehead, who's turning every head in town.
Neither believe a half-forgotten legend is true, but once a sleeping Celtic god awakes, it's too late to turn back, too late to refuse his offer…
Love or Music…
Set in a small Irish town in the 1990s, Kit & Tully is a story of First Love, Coming of Age and a Faustian Pact!

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2022

Reviews

[Hayley Gallant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars🌟🌟🌟

"Urban spaces have rules and you can figure them out and find a way to fit in, but by night, the country is wild and chaotic, subject to the whims of nature, forces beyond our control."

* I would first like to say thankyou to netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

This is a very short read about characters, Kit and Tulley. It takes place in a small town in Ireland and follows the 90s music scene. I enjoyed that aspect of the book because I love reading about anything European music/rock related!

It had a very small amount of romance involved, but I'm assuming that will continue within the series. I don't know if I personally would continue with the series because I found it difficult to connect with the story, but for those who like short, music related, romance, young reads then I would definitely suggest it!

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this one for the cute cover! I saw it was short and was probably going to be a light read. And I enjoyed it! The story is from Tully's POV and he's a pretty laid back guy. He's new to town and interested in making money at his new job and maybe finding some new friends. Imagine his surprise when a girl around his age stumbles in to the video store on his first shift and catches his eye.

It was cute. I loved the lore of the mound and the video store nostalgia was glorious! I even looked up the videos they were renting because I didn't recognize them and enjoyed some classic movie trailer!! It's cute, I liked both Kit and Tully, Spike (and the band although I could leave Mac!) and I look forward to reading more of their story.

As a side note, as soon as I was done with my kindle version, I went and signed up for the author's newsletter and got a free 1.5 book!! So if you read this one, don't miss the novella before book 2!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Fleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book, but it does a very nice job of drawing you in! Can’t wait to read the next one.

[Riley K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Tully meets Kit, he instantly falls in love with her. However it isn't love at first sight for her as she is head over heels in love with Mac. I love when a story makes me fall in love with the characters and their story. This one did not disappoint.

I loved the plot and the premise of the book, it did not disappoint at all. I cannot wait to read what happens next. I will recommend this story to others.

[Angela Y (yangelareads) ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Indie Ink.

Love or Music. Which should they choose and what price will they have to pay? When new guy, Tully, falls for sixteen-year-old Kit, he needs to find a way to win her over. Because, right now, she only has eyes for scorching hot lead-singer, Mac Whitehead, who is turning every head in town. Neither believe a half-forgotten legend is true, but once a sleeping Celtic god awakes, it is too late to turn back, too late to refuse his offer.

I think this was an amazing introduction to the series of short books. It kept me coming back to find out what was gonna happen in Tulleys life. It was a quick read, fast-paced and laced with just the right combination of family, friends, culture/history and tension. I probably would not pick up the second book but did truly enjoy my time-warp back to a pre-cell phone era.

[Kat Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting blend of music, love, and Celtic mythology, First Kiss is a great read. The characters are well-drawn and the story flows effortlessly. Tully’s workplace - a video rental store - sets the cool 90s vibe perfectly and I love the descriptions of the dark and rainy city streets of Drimshanra alongside the vast and majestic Irish landscapes. The sinister and intriguing mythology vein that Mocha Von Bee has cleverly weaved through the narrative perfectly complements the plot of Tully’s growing musical aspirations and his desire to get to know the elusive Kit better. There’s just enough magic to make me want to instantly pick up the next book and find out if Celtic God of love and music, Aohngus, is right; Music or love, you can’t have both…

[Steph (Teacups & Tropes) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this ARC completely blind and requested it on the cover alone.

Um. The cover misled me. I read this and still have no real idea what the heck it's even about. LOL. Basically this is the gist I got from reading this: Tully works in a video store and is new in town. Aonghus is like a Celtic god of some sort. Kit is the love interest and Tully is instantly enamored with her from page one.

Basically... nothing happened in this book. And even though it was short, I felt as though my time was slightly wasted. Sigh.

Dang cute covers tricked me again.

[Mocha VonBee]

First Kiss is Book 1 in the Kit & Tully Series

The story opens when Tully, new guy in town, sees Kit for the first time and falls in love. 
But Kit has no time for Tully. She's far more interested in the arrival of up-and-coming band, Black Death, especially scorching hot lead-singer, Mac Whitehead, who's turning every head in Drimshanra.



Neither believe a half-forgotten legend is true, but once a sleeping Celtic god awakes, it's too late to turn back, too late to refuse his offer…
Love or Music… Which should they choose and what price do they have to pay?
Love will give Kit and Tully a future together, but music can make Tully's dream come true.



Neither of them dream the consequences of their fateful choice will poison their relationships, in love, friendship and rivalry, until a mysterious death drives them apart.

Beginning with Tully, the nine books are told from a different character’s point of view. Each narrator continues where the previous one left off.
All except one of them could potentially be a suspect… or a victim…
And while the mystery remains unsolved, each of them suspects one of the others.

Get FIRST KISS and start reading the Kit & Tully Series now!

Get it on Amazon

Get it on Kobo

Get it on Apple Books

Get it on Google Play Books

What Early Readers Say...

SLHaynes

Breakfast Club vibes!

MidnightRose55

I was really impressed by the authority with which you told a story about Ireland in the 1990s. You have so many details and little nuances that make me feel like I am actually there and it makes your world feel so real.

JaxonBlacc

Also, this story gives me a lot of Derry Girls vibes.

LunarAquarius

Ah, the 90s...the golden age of VHS, tape recorders, and good cartoons.
I'm getting gothic vibes from this group, and I love it!

curiousgeo

Whoah... clout at the the VIDEO store. This was hot stuff in the 80s and 90s. This is fun for me because it's very much my era. I even had a boyfriend who worked in a video store in... 1995 I think. Many many hours spent hanging around there while he was working.

guywortheyauthor

You're nailing the time period, the dialog feels natural, and the characters are coming across…. and now I want a prehistoric graveyard as a special place.

[Hugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mocha's debut novel is a real page turner. Following the fortunes and affairs of this young, diverse group, set against the bleak Irish landscape of the 90's, this romantic,mystical thriller is a great read and will really appeal to it's young adult audience.

[Meenal · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover is beautiful and makes the book worth owning a physical copy of. I obtained a free e-book via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads says the book is 164 pages, but my copy is only 95 pages; I shouldn't have ignored this first red flag.
 
While I like the blurb, it's misleading. This book has no interaction with the aforementioned Celtic God. He doesn't wake up in this book. It also ends on a cliffhanger. So if you picked it up expecting to read the story in the blurb, you'll have to read book two. The author should've instead worded it as a long prequel to book two, to which the blurb would fit better. 
 
Tully doesn't love Kit; he's infatuated with her. The way he keeps buzzing around her is a violation of her privacy. I don't like it one bit. His behaviour will make any sensible gal uncomfortable. His thoughts were so difficult to read because they were creepy. His thought of staying on the sidelines, waiting for when Kit would take her eyes off Mac and look around, made me want to vomit. Kit didn't get equal attention in this book. I felt like she was dealing with more than was mentioned, which would explain her disturbed mental state.
 
I didn't connect with the place or the characters. Everyone was annoying. The writing was boring. There are a lot of characters, and very little is told about many of them, which makes it difficult to keep up with the ten or so names throughout the narrative.
 
It's a bad story and not worth the time.

[Sâmella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Primeiro de tudo: é real quando digo que amo uma capa ilustrada, já que foi assim que esse livro tanto me chamou a atenção para conferir a sinopse como a, mesmo após a leitura vaga desta, a querer dar uma chance à história. O clima da capa e da premissa pareciam render algo bem jovem e clichê, e em parte até foi isso, só que não exatamente como eu esperava.

O livro como um todo tem uma narrativa bem tranquila, o início já é bem envolvente, mas em contrapartida também faz tudo se desenvolver um pouco rápido demais, de forma que, para um protagonista que acabou de se mudar para uma cidade nova, o Tully começou a se relacionar com os demais personagens e se envolver em seus dramas de forma meio forçada. O romance em potencial foi afetado por isso, porque a mínima faísca que poderia ter sentido entre ele e a Kit se foi à medida que eu o percebi ficar simplesmente tão ligado nela mesmo sem saber quase nada da garota, me incomodou e soou muito aleatório para mim, mesmo para um plot jovem.

A Kit por si só também não me atraiu para conhecer mais dela ou apegar-me a seu background familiar ou afins, carisma um tanto quanto falho, e junto com os demais e o plot lá do deus celta, que foi bem raso e também apressado no final, não me cativou muito na leitura também. O plot da banda até que se saiu bem, mesmo no final correndo um pouco de novo, mas acho que foi o ponto mais consistente da história. E só. Acabei insistindo na leitura de certa forma só porque já tinha passado da metade e é um livro curto até, mas chegou o final e, entre tudo o que aconteceu nesse primeiro volume, já me convenci de não ser mesmo o meu estilo de livro, ao ponto de acompanhar os demais, infelizmente.

[Sarah Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Kiss is the intriguing first novel in the Kit and Tully series. The story mixes teen fiction set in the 90s, mystery, and romance as Tully moves to the Irish town of Drimshanra. He’s immediately drawn to Kit, a young woman he spots in town and at his new video store job. Her more affluent background contrasts his working-class one, so he’s less certain they’ll have a way to connect, but he grows more connected to her and her two friends Spike and Felice. Their stories intertwine more as they get to know the rising band Black Death, whose guitarist Kit is crushing on, and Tully fights for her attention by sharing his love of music. The love vs music theme continues to get explored with the bandmates as well.

The author does a wonderful job of creating a setting and story with an ominous edge. While Tully embraces Drimshanra, there’s an undercurrent of unease peaking through at various moments like outside Felice Carr’s father’s mansion, near the passage grave, and with Mac Whitehead that pairs well with the supernatural elements that Tully doesn’t quite believe, but Kit does about the legend of the Celtic god Aonghus. The descriptions are excellently done to develop the tense atmosphere and Irish landscape, show the struggles Tully has overcome, and convey the characters’ contrasting personalities.

I loved seeing Tully’s journey of adapting to a new town, growing as a musician and getting closer to Kit. He’s a sweet character that you want to see succeed. I’m looking forward to seeing the love or music theme explored more in future books in the series.

[Summer Song · Rating 5 out of 5]

"First Kiss (Kit and Tully, #1" is a mysterious, fun, and interesting read by Mocha VonBee. I really liked the 1990s small town Irish setting. Getting to know the characters was so much fun! The author has done great work creating characters that feel three dimensional and like real people all within a story that is under 200 pages. It was interesting to see how the characters interact with each other and their families and to see the difficulties and challenges they are all dealing with. Tully's video store workplace was fun to read about! It was very nice to see how much Tully cares about his mother and how he is such a hardworking and kind person. Although Kit seems at times to be aloof and a bit frosty towards Tully we get to know her better throughout the book and see that she is a likeable character. It was great to see the close friendship between Kit, Felice, and Spike and to see Tully becoming a part of their friend group. I liked the speed of the plot and the author's writing style. This is a story about friendship, love, conflict, music, and Celtic mythology. I highly recommend reading this book! I have signed up for the author's newsletter and am enjoying reading "First Summer" which is Kit's version of the story. I am really looking forward to the upcoming books in this series. Thank you very much to the author Mocha VonBee, the publisher Indie Ink, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy to read and review honestly.

[𐔌 . ⋮ radha .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱ (reading slump 😭) · Rating 2 out of 5]

well this book made me question a lot of things.. the storyline was meh. i’ve read better, i’ve read worse. i wouldn’t read it more than a few more times but like it’s okay..

─────୨ৎ─────
now playing:
mary by alex g
1:23 ─•──── 3:16
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
volume: ♥︎ ♥︎ ♡ ♡ ♡
─────୨ৎ─────

first, i didn’t like the whole aonghus thing cuz wtf was i reading. when i got this book on kindle it was NOT in the supernatural books type thing.. it was young adult romance. i also thought that the whole ‘oh no we woke aonghus up!!” parts were uh.. okay..? i still dunno why that part was necessary, like it was confusing and it mentioned aonghus way too many times. but it was a little scary if i’m being honest, but i did read this at 3am so that might of contributed a bit to the scary kinda part.

─────୨ৎ─────
now playing:
apocalypse by cas
1:02─•──── 4:49
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
volume: ♥︎ ♥︎ ♡ ♡ ♡
─────୨ৎ─────

this book very much gave brooklyn baby by lana del rey..

the writing style was.. nice? i guess? no offence to the author but there where WAY to many exclamation marks. every page i had like 2 exclamation marks and it kinda brought the book down. personally, i also thought kit was a boy and tully was a girl but i was wrong. there was alot of characters in this short book that i did loose a bit of interest. i think this book would of been good in duel perspectives which would make it much more interesting. i’m probably not gonna read the next 8 books though..

[Emily ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this short novel was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot despite it being incredibly short! Tully is a really good character and I liked that this novel was from his POV - it’s not often that books are in a male MC POV!
The chapters were the perfect length and kept me interested and I read it pretty quickly!
The only slight con, was that it was very fast - I would have preferred the book to be slightly longer and the plot lengthened out. Yet, I really liked the fact that it was set in 1990 and embedded with Irish culture too :) I would like to continue this short novel series and find out what happens to Kit and Tully!
Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review

[Estefany Nótt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comencé este libro con cero expectativas, y terminé adorándolo. Tully es tan tierno que dan ganas de abrazarlo cuando le surgen tantas inseguridades respecto a Kit y sobre él mismo. Es un libro juvenil que trata sobre perseguir los sueños. No es un libro con mucha profundidad ni muchos detalles sobre la vida individual de cada personaje, pero si es una introducción perfecta para darle la bienvenida a los personajes, no sé si tiene sentido lo que digo jajaja. Básicamente es una historia introductoria, corta, amena, muy interesante y dulcemente bonita [con Tully en la ecuación, por supuesto]. No deja de tener ciertos clichés típicos de este tipo de historias, pero vale la pena realmente. Estoy deseando leerme el segundo libro.

[Maddy Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tully is new in town and because he plays the hero one night, he now made some friends. He has a crush on Kit, she’s beautiful, well off, smart and she can write lyrics to his music. The problem is she has a crush on Mac, the lead singer of the band Black Death. Things start looking up for Tully when Mac starts inviting him to rehearse with his band because their lead guitarist doesn’t show up for rehearsals. At the end Tully finds himself having the best night of his life. He finally has Kit and he just played lead guitar on stage for the biggest show, he sees his future. It also puts him in the same spot as Baz who just chose love over music. Anyone who knows my reviews knows I hate cliffhangers more than liver. I liked this story but it should have had an ending. Dragging the ending out isn’t going to make it better or more enjoyable to read. I’m giving it four stars and only recommend it if you like cliffhangers.

[Charlie Medcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Kiss by Mocha Von Bee is the first book in the Kit and Tully series. It follows Tully around his new town where he gets a job in a video shop before quickly making new friends with three of the local teenagers. Their friendship gets increasingly strong, particularly with Kit as they listen to their favourite band live. After spending lots of time over the summer together, Tully manages to persuade Kit's parents to let her go to a concert where she makes Tully do something he likely would not have previously done and where they share their first kiss.

For my full book review please visit: https://cembookportal.blogspot.com/20...

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has such variety in such a short novel and such an interesting plan for the trilogy. As characters unfold in each book they will expand and continue the previous stories creating a cliffhanger ending to three possibilities that will unfold in the next book. This story has pining love, rockstar life, class differentials and poverty struggles as well as ancient Celtic folklore to give it an unseen twist. It’s a short book with variety of you need something to binge in a day.

I received a free advanced review copy and am offering my honest review voluntarily.

[kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cheers for my first ever read for this year, 2023! It was a nice, short read. It's also interesting to read the entire book from a male point of view, which is something we don't see very often. This is the first book from Tully's POV, and the other incoming books are going to have a different character's POV. I can't help but want to read the next book already because it's such a cliffhanger. I can't wait to solve more mysteries in these books until I know who's who. 👀

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

[Nushie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindly given a digital copy from Netgalley for an honest review

This was a sweet short story about two kids in Ireland and their love of music. Tully has just moved to a small town in Ireland and is balancing working to support his family with finding new friends leading him to filling in for a member of an up-and-coming band.

I think for the next book I would really like to see more of Kit’s story and really develop their relationship.

[Terrah Lovett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It kept me coming back to find out what was gonna happen in Tulleys life. At first I was thinking that I’d like to hear more from other character viewpoints but I hear that in the next book, we get to hear Kits side of things! Can’t wait to hear what she’s thinking and hear more of their story. Such a good quick read!

[humairaa]

ok so I have mixed feelings on this book. the male pov was interesting, especially as most YA books are written from the fmc's pov but besides that? I feel like the book was lacking in world and character building. I still know nothing about anyone or anything, and that's not just because of my terrible memory.

(arc received via net galley)

[Word Explorer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah to be young again. If you are a fan of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist or Before We Go, this is a must read. The vibe captures the uncertainty and curiosity of those turbulent years as a young adult trying to find your footing, and your heart, among the chaos life throws at you. Set in Ireland, Celtic magic runs as rampant as those flirtations early feelings of love.

[Red Wolf Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was sent to me by book sirens to give my honest opinion.

When I read the synopsis, it caught my attention, plus it said it had vibes of one of my favorite films ever, The Breakfast Club, just in Ireland in the '90s.

As I read this I was excited and wanted to give it a chance to see what it was like, it is also a short book and the first of a trilogy.

For some reason I didn’t connect with the characters, Tully, I found him to be a simple character, who just wanted to get Kit’s attention at all costs, and Kit didn’t seem nice to me, she started being nice to Tully just because he could bring her closer to what she wanted.

I tried to sympathize with them both, but I couldn't, although I would have liked to.

It's a story that has potential and Mocha Von Bee's way of writing is not complex, and it is a light read.

Too bad the book wasn’t for me, but if you read in English you should give it a try.
🐺
☆☆ 2/5

[eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC courtesy of netgalley. this was disappointing. i think because it was so short, we just didn’t get to explore things at the pace i wanted to. it felt as though everything was going slowly and taking its time and then BAM everything happened. and i’m not a fan of that. the ending was so unrealistic and i wanted to find out more about the traditional myths and legends of ireland

[Kelsey Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for allowing me access to this arc. I think this was an amazing introduction to the series of short books. I liked that the story was told from the males pov usually books are only told from the females pov. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series when they come out.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short but fun read set in beautiful Ireland. A cute little romance with Celtic gods, music and choices. I really like our main character Tully a lot and want to see the best for him. I like the little friend group he makes too, though I didn't love every character right away they grew on me for their own little quirks. The weird part about this book for me was that it does not tell you about the time period but you get hints from the story. In the beginning it felt weird but then I realized this is not set in today times but probably closer to the 90s or so😂. I can't wait to see were this story goes in the next books and will be keeping an eye out for them.

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an Arc for an honest review. Tully falls for 16-year-old Kit. He needs to find a way to win her over. She currently only has eyes for the lead singer Mac Whitehead. This was a short and quick read. I loved how this novel was in Tully's POV. I'm so excited for the next book in this series

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a short, fun read! I finished it in one sitting. I loved that it was set in the 90s, over the backdrop of a movie store and local band gigs. It definitely brought me back to my preteen years in a small town! I would recommend this book if you like music, romance, the 90s, and a sprinkling of Celtic folklore. My only wishes are that the folklore could've been more fleshed out, the characters could've been more fleshed out, and of course that I could just read more because I really enjoyed this story and will read the others in the Kit and Tully universe!.

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