It’s just business, nothing personal…until your ex becomes your new boss.Nova Lane is having the worst week ever. ✔️Her latest relationship? Ended while on her much-needed vacation. ✔️First day back at work? Her beloved boss has quit. ✔️And despite all her hard work? She’s not being considered for his position.The one who is being considered is none other than Kessler Rocha. ✔️Her … other than Kessler Rocha.
✔️Her ex-coworker and ex-lover.
✔️The man who broke her heart five years earlier.
✔️The reason she moved thousands of miles away, switched jobs, and created numerous voodoo dolls in Kessler’s (very burly, very handsome) likeness.
In the corporate world they say it’s just business, nothing personal.
But with their history and all this delicious new sexual tension, Nova and Kessler are about to show just how personal things can get.
NOTHING PERSONAL is a sweet, sexy & hilarious STANDALONE ROMANCE with a single dad, enemies-to-lovers, second-chance office romance twist from the NYT Bestselling Author of A Nordic King. This book contains foul language, raunchy humor, graphic sex and loads of other fun stuff
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Karina Halle has done it again! Her contemporary romances are just so, so good. I loved Nova, Kessler and Hunter. I laughed, swooned and even got a little teary over Nothing Personal. It was the perfect mix of steam and swoon.
Y’all know how much I enjoy a good second chance romance. Karina gave me exactly that with Nova and Kessler. Nova was seriously relatable. Kessler was super swoony. I adored his son, Hunter, too. And don’t even get me started on the geckos and the damn chicken. I lost track of how many times I literally laughed out loud while reading Nothing Personal. Oh, and there’s the little matter of the passage with THE WORST Christmas song of all time, which made me giggle, even as I cringed because the dreadful song was stuck in my head for hours afterwards.
Nothing Personal was a flat-out delightful read. It was as sweet and romantic as it was hot and sexy. Nova and Kessler had oodles of chemistry and there was a bit of a slow burn build between them that I thoroughly enjoyed. It ticked so many of my boxes — second chance, single dad, office, slow burn — and it was just a fun read. I cheesy-grinned my way through most of the book and even got kicked in the feels a few times. But overall, it was a light, funny and sexy read that was low on the angst scale. I adored it.
Favorite Quotes:
“It’s not the same chicken. There is a mountain range between us and Honolulu and there are millions of chickens. They all look the same.”
“You used to have such a shine to you, Nova. Just like your name. You could obliterate every other star in the way. Now it’s dimmed and I don’t know why. Was it… was it me?”
And to think I could ever forget about her. Not when she’s across the hall. Not when she’s across the office. Not even if she’s across an ocean.
“It’s this vile piece of saccharine Christmas bullshit. How could you love this song?”
“I know I only have you like this, in this moment right now, but even just a moment with you is enough. Anything more than that is too good for the likes of me.”
“I know I’m difficult. I’m cynical and hard in places and too soft and sensitive in others. I’m running cold one second and then I’m a fiery volcano the next, with no way to turn me off. I’m ambitious and competitive and a little too focused.”
“I’m just a boy standing in front of a girl, asking her to aloha him.”
“You’re never the same after you get your heart broken. But if you’re just lucky enough, maybe you’ll find someone to help you pick up the pieces.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Drop Everything & Read This-
It has been a while since I’ve read a book that I have connected to and enjoyed on every level. Every. Single. Level. It is brilliantly and flawlessly written. You will laugh and you will swoon just as the author intended. You will fall in love with the hero and heroine and you will wish for just an inkling of the laughter, hope and love this book inspires to transpire in your life. This is my first time reading this author and I am absofuckinglutley smitten and in awe of her writing. By far the best read so far in 2019. This is a second chance novel that rivals all others with characters that are well fleshed, witty, funny and authentically genuine. Just one-click this one. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I love it when authors surprice you with a new release, and that during Christmas!
Nothing Personal is a second chance romcom placed in Hawaii.
This book is an easy and quick read. It’s super funny, a littly sassy, a teeny tiny bit heartbreaking (but no worries, you will survive) and romantic.
This book was perfect and just what I needed to lift my spirits.
Also, I love how Karina Halle uses the Hawaiian language and culture in this story.
Wonder if I can persuade my husband to take next years holiday in Hawaii? Someday….
What a sweet, adorably funny, cute, sexy story
I’ve been a fan of Karina’s writing for years now. Honestly, I love everything she writes, and this one was no different. I adored the dynamic between Nova and Kessler. It was so deliciously complicated. I sort of love that he was still under her skin after all that time. And I see why… because he’s so swoony! Nova was a fierce character, despite her insecurities and troubled past. I feel like that’s what makes characters so strong and lovable. And the fact that Kessler was an in-over-his-head single father (to an adorable kid like Hunter) made me love him that much more. It was obvious that Kessler and Nova were meant for each other. Their story was very sweet and charming. I highly recommend this, along with all of Karina’s other books. Mahalo!
Fun, sweet and steamy. I enjoyed the story and the characters.
I love a good RomCom book, but I can’t trust that every book that claims to make you laugh out loud will actually deliver, Fortunately for me, I can count on Karina Halle to totally deliver and I feel comfortable one-clicking her books knowing I’ll be entertained! This book was a true page turner that has me smiling like a loon in my living room. (Sorry, that rhymed) I found Nova and Kessler’s story to be funny, sweet, sexy, angsty, and full of heart. This books hit a lot of tropes: ex-lovers, ex-coworkers, second-chance, office romance and I’m not mad at it because Karina Halle makes it all work.
Nova Lane is a driven, hard working, independent woman and she has her eyes on a possible promotion coming her way, but instead it goes to Kessler Rocha, her ex that ripped her heart out years ago. Now, she is forced to work with this blast from the past and she’s not happy about. Nova has lived her life guarded with impenetrable walls that her friends have not been able to infiltrate, Kessler is the man for the job.
Kessler is the single dad of Hunter and I fell in love with them both. Even though Kessler will be working with his ex, Nova, he doesn’t understand her frosty “welcome” into his new position. From day one, these two go at each other with witty, funny banter and this does not help the unresolved tension between them. At first, Kessler does come off cocky, but as the story progresses, he opens himself up to be loved. And let’s not forget his adorable son, Hunter… winner, winner, chicken dinner!
** I voluntarily left a honest review after reading an advanced review copy of this book **
Full review on my blog: https://kingdomofromancenovels.blogspot.com/2018/12/karina-halle-nothing-personal_30.html
*ARC was kindly provided by the author and Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.*
Karina Halle did it again. Nothing Personal is one of the best second chance-romcom standalone I have ever read.
This book really easily became one of my biggest favourites. In Hungary, righ now, the weather is not really nice, but Karina wrote a story which takes place in a very sunny place, and it was soooooo good to read about. I’ll definitely read it again next summer, or maybe sooner (I really do believe that this is the type of books that you just can’t get enough of), but I think it really has a special feeling if you read it in Honolulu. One day, I hope I will read it there, too. 😀
“You had me at aloha.”
Karina Halle writes wonderfully. I extremely love that she describes different places in her books. One of my biggest favourites by her is A Nordic King, and in that novel I really adored the way she wrote about Denmark. I have already mentioned in my review of A Nordic King that I love learning languages, I love travelling, and if these two are mixed in a book, well, I can really easily love it.
And that’s what happened when I was reading Nothing Personal. It takes place in Hawaii, more exactly, in Honolulu, and I really would like to visit this place. Karina wrote incredibly beautiful descriptions, these parts wasn’t boring and too long at all, I loved every word of these. Aaaaand, another big plus point: Hawaiian sentences/words did appear in this story too. These just made the whole book more interesting, I did enjoy reading the whole story and these little sentences, too. Now, because of Karina, I would love to learn speaking in Danish and in Hawaiian, too. 😀
Actually, I’m really new to Karina, I have only read I think four of her books, but I’m planning to read a lot more. Because of that, it was my very first romcom by her, and to be honest, this story is a lot more better than I thought it would be. It is SO SUPER FANTASTIC. Probably this was the last book I started and finished in 2018, and it was a perfect way to finish this year, too. It was sooooo hilarious, I really do believe that Nothing Personal is highly one of the bests in the romcom category. It is one of the funniest books I have ever read. This novel made my whole day. It’s such a fun read and I am 100% sure that it will make you smile. And I’m talking about that ear-to-ear type of smiles. And it will totally make you laugh. Laugh out loud. That chicken. 😀 You’ll understand what I am talking about if you read it. Believe me, it’s totally worth it. On the other hand, there will be some scenes (okay, well, a lot), which will make you blush and will leave your Kindles on fire.
“We all change when we’re ready for it.”
Karina Halle’s stories are always so unique, her writing style, as I have already mentioned, is completely captivating, and her characters always make everything even better.
Nova is an incredibly strong, motivated, hard-working woman, who has also a funnier side too, she has a really good sense of humor. I adored Kessler from the very beginning, I really do think that he is an amazing person and a wonderful person. He did everything he could, and a lot more. Her little son, Hunter, is super adorable, I really loved every scene when he appeared, he always put a smile on my face, cuteness level 1000. Personally I believe that the secondary characters are also super good. Kate is incredible, I laughed almost every time she said something, I hope that maybe one day she gets her own story, I would definitely read it. Another character, I really loved is Teef, I would be more curious for his story.
I would say that this story is mostly romcom, however, it has some scenes which are not really funny. Some of them even make you really think about different things. These scenes also help us get to know the characters more and learn some things about their pasts. Karina mixed the funnier and not so funny thing in a genious way, I didn’t feel that one of these is too much.
“It’s just… when you’re ready for love, everything in your life changes. Doors open. Opportunities happen. You meet new people… and you reconnect with old ones.”
Taking everything into account, Nothing Personal by Karina Halle is a masterpiece. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who really loves romcoms and/or second chance romances. If you love single-dad and/or office romance, I would even recommend this novel to you more. I am pretty sure you will love it. This is such a romantic book with lots and lots and lots and lots of hilarious moments, full with amazing characters you can’t help but love. Give it a chance. Worth it.
It really deserves all the aloha stars. Six stars from me, it is one of my biggest favourites in 2018.
A beautiful, funny, sweet, endearing second chance romance set in beautiful Hawaii with insane chickens, giant geckos and leprechauns galore.
Two people happen to meet again after a short lived relationship years before. What may have been simple fun for one of them was sooo much more for the other. Which makes it all the harder for Nova who was destroyed when he broke up and moved on very shortly after to be forced to work with him. Under him. When it should have been her promotion. Something she spent her entire life working towards.
Things through are never as they seem and the shocks keep on coming. There is more to Kessler than she ever thought possible. Will she have the courage to let him in again? You’ll have to read it to find out! Another not to be missed five star read by Karina Halle!
I LOVED A Nordic King (it made my Best of 2018 list), so when I saw that Karina Halle was doing another single dad romance (my kryptonite) I was all about it! Nothing Personal is a lot more humorous than A Nordic King but I’m not mad about it – I love a good romcom and Karina Halle definitely serves that here. I love that it’s a second chance, office romance, the male lead is a bit grumpy, and the heroine is a bit quirky. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions and just overall enjoyed my reading experience – I’d love to see more romantic comedy from KH! Nova and Kessler had fantastic chemistry and the steamy bits are FIRE!!! I’m pretty sure that I can confidently say that I’m down to read whatever Karina Halle writes from here on out (and buy the paperbacks because do you see this cover?) and to collect her back catalogue. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
Karina Halle is a new author for me and I am really glad I gave “Nothing Personal” a try. I really admired Nova Lane, the heroine, and her smart businesses sense and fair ethical standards. She worked hard to get where she was in her company and was vying for a promotion, when her ex-boyfriend, Kessler, was hired to take on the job temporarily.
Kessler recently learned he was a father and I so admired how he stepped up, and tried to be a great dad and role model. It was very heartwarming and his son was just adorable.
I really loved Nova and Kessler at work and their sassy, witty banter and undeniable chemistry. Karina writes with such detail and you can’t help but fall in love with both characters. I loved how honest and open they were and how they did eventually talk about their past pain and what went wrong in their relationship, and their future career goals. Nova pulls no punches when she lets him know he has the temporary job that she is aiming for, and he lets her know he wants to keep it so they can continue getting to know one another again.
I like a book where the characters act like actual adults and are able to talk things through. It wasn’t easy for these two, but through the pages you realize they were meant to be and deserve a second chance. I really liked the ending of “Nothing Personal” as it was exactly what I was hoping for. I liked that Kessler but a bit vulnerable and could admit when he was wrong and needed help. I admire that in a man.
I also love the description and details of Hawaii, where this book took place, and felt as if I was there.
It was cute. There’s quite a bit of shenanigans going on. They definitely liked the angry sex. It was like when in doubt, pound it out. It certainly made them both in a better mood.
This is the book I needed to read, and I discovered it after a few pages into the story. The charming characters, the humor and the seductive rhythm of Nothing Personal turned this read into an extraordinary experience. This author don’t cease to amaze me with her talent. And a trip around Hawaii, even if it’s through a book, is always a good plan.
This was my first time reading a book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. This book was so good! I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one day. It made me laugh so much and I highlighted so many favorite lines. If you need a single dad romance then this one is for you go one click it now trust me you won’t be disappointed. Absolutely loved the characters and how well written this book was. I didn’t want it to end. One of my must read books this year.
Single parent books are seriously my favourite genre. Don’t exactly know why, but whenever I see a blurb and it highlights single parent, I definitely one-click. This book I loved.
I loved the fact that Kessler was a single dad. I loved the back and forth banter between these two. Nova was a spit fire sassy women and gave as good as she got.
I can definitely say that this book was just what I needed after a long day with the family on Christmas day. It was light hearted, awesome banter and the chemistry between these two were amazing. There were lots of LoL moments and I guarantee its one of those books you will start and not put down until the end.
Karina Halle is one of my favorite authors. I love Hawaii this book setting. Nova and Kessler are great characters. Nova is strong and doesn’t realize the depth of Kessler’s feelings for her. This is a great story, is sexy, funny and sweet.
I absolutely loved these characters. You never knew what to expect!
3.5 Aloha Novas
Nothing Personal is a cute lovers to enemies to lovers tale. It’s also a workplace romance. Just when you think it’s safe, chickens pop out of nowhere, leprechauns swarm, and poop happens. There is plenty of entertaining and cringe worthy fun in these pages but don’t let the title fool you- it’s all personal!
I adored this book so much! I love Nova and Kessler..they are explosive together..literally!
She has a temper and he loves fighting with her! They made me laugh and smile and they are so hot together! Ex lovers and ex co-workers now wring together again..they are good at many things but others need to change..can they forget about the past and try again?
I adore Hunter too..such a sweetheart!
Great story!
NO SPOILERS!
Nothing Personal was a sexy, funny, and entertaining standalone romantic comedy, and I really enjoyed it. The overall feel of the book was different than most of Karina Halle’s previous work, but I still really liked the storyline and characters.
The storyline was a great mix of multiple tropes, all of which I loved: office romance, second chance, enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, single dad. You name it, it probably had it. Although Nothing Personal was different than a lot of Karina Halle’s past books, she did a wonderful job telling Kessler and Nova’s story. It took me a little while to get invested in the storyline and characters, and there were some things I didn’t like as much, but overall it was a fun, sexy, and entertaining adventure that I really enjoyed.
The characters were wonderful. Kessler and Nova were quite the pair, and definitely gave each other a run for their money. I liked their personalities and smoking hot chemistry together, and how most of their relationship progressed throughout. I loved reading the book from both Kessler and Nova’s point of view, and most of their banter and interactions with each other. There were definitely some trying moments, but luckily everything turned out well in the end, and I was happy with the conclusion.
Nothing Personal was a funny, sexy, and entertaining standalone romantic comedy, and while it hasn’t been my favorite book from Karina Halle so far, I would recommend it. Karina Halle is one of my top favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she releases next!
NOTHING PERSONAL is my last read of 2018, I was so excited to read Karina Halle’s new book and finished my reading challenge with her story.
Nova didn’t have very luck much in the romance department, after her heart was crushed years ago, she couldn’t find the one for her. She’s dedicated to her job and to be the best at it. After coming from vacations, she noticed that her boss quit without notice and she thinks this is her chance to get his job, she has worked so so hard for this moment, sadly she finds out she’s not getting the position and her new boss is none other than the man who broke her heart years ago.
Kessler didn’t think twice when this offer was proposed. He needed the job and the change of scenario especially now that he’s a dad, a single one at that. And one of the things that makes him accept it was that he has the chance to see Nova again. She was “the one who got away” and he can’t wait to see her. What he didn’t know is that she hated him and that he is taking the position she deserves.
Things won’t be easy for Nova, she’s still hurt by Kessler behavior in the past, and it will be hard to trust him again so Kessler will have to work A LOT if he wants to have her again.
I love Nova, she’s an amazing character, a little weird especially with her pets. She worked very hard to be where she is and she doesn’t take crap from anyone. I respected her for that! I must admit that I wouldn’t give any chance to Kessler because he really hurt her and for me, he doesn’t deserve a second chance, there are things that we can’t forgive. But I know that Kessler did his best to win her over and a girl can’t say no to a sexy single dad who happens to have the most amazing child in the world. So I don’t blame you Nova!!!
If you’re looking for a sexy and funny reading to start this 2019, you have to pick this one.