This is my stop during the blog tour for the Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours . The blog tour runs from January 20 till February 2, you can view the complete tour schedule on the Nogiku series blog tour page on the website of Lola's Blog Tours.
So far this series contains two book: Removed (Nogiku series #1) and Released (Nogiku series #2).
Removed (Nogiku series #1)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: September 11, 2013
Blurb:Excerpt
Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything. Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin, a sweet and smart half-Japanese girl, is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love and excitement on New Yearís Eve 3103. Mark Sakai, who knows more about her than any stranger should, thinks Sanaa is the perfect person to spy on the heads of the three biggest Japanese clan leaders in Nishikyo. He wants her to gather enough evidence to keep them from going to war when they land on Earthís colonization planet, Yusei. Nishikyo, built by the Japanese 300 years ago to house the rest of mankind, is failing and everyone is preparing to leave. Sakai has known Sanaaís family all her life but she knows nothing of him! And despite all the time they spend together, he keeps his distance from her. Then one day, he brings her to Jiro, his nephew, to learn sword fighting, and it changes her life irrevocably. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering on the clans, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts her and all of Nishikyo in danger.
Nishikyō
itself is mostly devoid of charm and uniqueness, except for a few temples and
theaters, but each building’s owner takes care to set their place apart from
the blandness around it. It’s not surprising I would have walked past this
place had Jiro not led me directly here. Its exterior is austere, simple.
Inside,
they must have knocked out all of the existing structure and rebuilt it
entirely from the floor up. The walls are papered a lovely shade of cream and
lit softly from above. Real wood supports and beams are shellacked a deep, dark
coffee brown. I place my hand on one, and it’s warm and organic. Nothing like
the cool and precise composite material we use around the city to mimic the
real thing.
The
genkan has an area of cubbies for shoes and sets of washed slippers for guests.
It’s cool in here as I thought it would be, but comfortable. Okiyas call
private contractors to bring in more cooling units so the geisha can entertain
in their silk kimono and not overheat. It’s something they can easily afford in
this business.
A
doorway opens off to the right and a young woman dressed in a lovely pink and
green kimono comes out to greet us.
“Irasshaimase,
Itō-sama! You’re expected. I hope you’re well.”
“I
am, Shichi-san, and you?”
“I
am well, thank you.”
“Shichi-san,
this is another family guest, Sanaa.” He gestures to me, and I stand absolutely
still. I’ve never been to an okiya and am not sure how polite or formal I’m
supposed to be. When Jiro sees my frozen state, he puts his hand on the small
of my back. He probably thinks this is going to have a calming effect on me,
but now I’m fluttery instead.
You can find Removed on Goodreads
Want to view some inspirational images for Removed, visit the Removed inspirational Pinterest board
You can buy Removed here:
- Amazon (Paperback)
- Amazon (Kindle)
- Barnes & Noble
- iBookstore
- Kobo
- Wattpad
You can watch the trailer for Removed here:
Released (Nogiku series #2)
by SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Post-apocalyptic
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Blurb:
**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED (Book 1) Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyo recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa's eventual rule on Yusei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired -- at all costs. Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she's willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her? From Nishikyo to Yusei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.
Excerpt
“Itami-sama,
I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Sakai-san tells me you were injured
during the earthquake. How unfortunate.”
What
a supremely cunning liar Minamoto is. I’m sure he knows everything about the
fight, my injuries, my recovery, and my near death again in the hospital at the
hands of an assassin. He has spies. We have spies. If only we all just told
each other everything, but instead we do this dance. To men like Minamoto, the
dance is everything, and if I don’t want to offend him, I will have to step
lightly.
“I
am quite well now, thank you, Minamoto-san.” I rise from seiza to lean forward
and lift my cup of tea from the table between us. Jiro is sitting silently to
my left, Usagi standing behind me, and Sakai is on my right.
I
sit back on my heels and take the time to sum up Kentaro Minamoto. He’s
twenty-two, the same age as Jiro. He’s lean, fit, and possibly a little wiry
under his gray kimono. He has a thin face, long forehead, and short spiky hair.
If I had seen him out and about, I definitely would have thought, “Not my
type.” He has yet to utter a word, but he is watching me while I watch him.
“Minamoto-san,
you said you had business to discuss,” Sakai says, setting his tea cup down and
placing his hands on his upper thighs. I continue to sip at the genmaicha.
Hmmm, this tea is not as bad as I remember it being.
Kentaro
lightly shakes his head at Minamoto. Violences flashes over Minamoto’s eyes as
Kentaro turns towards me.
“Itami-sama,
before the earthquake, I was prepared to get back to you about my support. I am
willing to throw the full weight of my house behind you, but I ask one thing in
return.”
I
keep my face as passive as possible. Here it comes.
“You
currently have no consort. You are twenty and of the age that such things are
permissible. It would be advantageous for both our families if you were to take
my son, Kentaro.”
You can find Released on Goodreads
You can buy Released here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
About the Author:
Released is S. J. Pajonasís second work, book two of four in the Nogiku Series. The first book in the series, Removed, is described as ìa wonderful storyî with ìengaging characters, seamless world building, and an action packed plot.î Itís an ìup-til-3am-because-I-read-it-in-one-sitting book.î She also writes contemporary romance and her upcoming first book in the Love in the Digital Age series will be published in 2014.
S. J. lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
You can find and contact her here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Flickr
- Tumblr
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of the Nogiku series. These are the prizes you can win: Amazon Gift Cards, copies of REMOVED, and eBook copies of two fantastic Japanese books:
JAPANESE SOUL COOKING and THE SAKE HANDBOOK. Both will be gifted through either Amazon (kindle) or Barnes&Noble (nook).
Here are the links to both books on Amazon:
Sake Handbook on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sake-Handbook-John-Gauntner-ebook/dp/B007H9GVMI/
Japanese Soul Cooking: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVJG5GC/
You can enter the tour wide giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
