Hiya guys, we have Alina Popescu popping in today with the tour for her newest release Strength to Let Go, a paranormal story with a difference! We have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and we also have Leigh’s review for you to check out, so enjoy the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~

Strength to Let Go

Alina Popescu

After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.

Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.

His death.

Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.

Instead, he saves him.

Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.

Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.

Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?

Excerpt

The light in my room was on and I growled in warning as I walked past the windows, hoping Ganz would get the message and leave. No such luck, I realized, when I pushed my door open and saw him pacing the room. Leaving the door ajar, I walked in and started stripping. I needed to clean this whole fucked up night off and just get myself stupid drunk. Otherwise, there’d be no sleep for me.

“Shiki, I am sorry I sprung that on you, but you needed to hear it.”

“Shut up and get out,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. “Now, Ganz. Get out now!”

He cringed as I got louder, but didn’t budge. With a shrug, I removed my boots and socks, then practically tore off my jacket and T-shirt.

“Dimitri survived losing his mate, and he’s not the only one,” Ganz insisted, his voice barely audible.

Running my hand through my hair, I turned to face him. “It’s not the fucking same thing! My mates are not dead. They are alive and kicking, thank you very much! They broke all bonds with me, yet I can still feel them. I’ve not lost them, they left. To me and my wolf, they are who we belong to.”

He shook his head and took a step closer.

“Don’t say anything else. You have no idea how this feels.”

“Shiki, I don’t have to! I don’t need to have been burnt to know my skin will heal.”

“Losing a mate is not a fucking flesh wound, you dumbass!” My breath hitched as I grabbed and squeezed the back rest of the one chair in my room. I feared letting go of it because I knew I might end up tearing the whole house apart.

“It’s not, it just takes longer to heal.”

“Ganz, I don’t care about the healing, I care about the loneliness I’d have to face for much longer than any other wolf. What the hell do you think drinking that much fae blood does? They are immortal, remember?”

He placed a tentative hand on my shoulder and I promptly shook it off.

“You could spend a huge chunk of that lifetime with the true love of your life, why would you want to waste it?”

“Because the loves of my life don’t fucking want me. Wolves mate for life, remember? And even if you can move on after a mate’s death, mine are very much alive. They will never die!”

“That’s nothing but semantics. They are gone, and you are stubbornly clinging to someone who clearly does not deserve you!”

Before the words even sunk in, the aggression in them directed to the two I loved hit me head on. I snarled and pounced before I could even dream of stopping myself. In mere seconds, I had Ganz pinned against the wall, my right hand squeezing his throat and my hips keeping him in place.

“Don’t you ever speak of them like that,” I snarled, watching as his eyes grew wide with both shock and the effort to breathe. He was fighting for air, but there was little of it getting through.

“They are nothing but fucking morons for giving you up,” he whispered, struggling to push the words out. My grip locked tighter around his neck and I knew he’d soon pass out. I was looming over him, growling and staring him down, and right then my nostrils flared with a surprising aroma. Arousal.

I gasped, my eyes widening as the scent permeated the air around me. My growl changed, a soft purr layering it, and I could feel my own dick stirring. No, that was impossible! Sure it had been a few weeks, but…. But what? Had I expected my body to stop working? I was a wolf, I should have known better.

“A future alpha who gets all hot and bothered when he’s being manhandled. That’s an interesting discovery.” I chuckled, going for mocking, but it turned out genuinely amused, maybe with a hint of surprise.

“Yes, so? You seem to be equally turned on by manhandling this future alpha,” Ganz said, arching a brow. A smug smirk curled up half of his mouth and I could clearly see his pupils dilating. He was right, but it angered me that he was, so I squeezed harder and snarled. Ganz moaned, a long, drawn out sound, and pushed his hips forward, crushing his erection into my hip.

“No, seriously, you like this?”

Ganz placed his hand over mine and I loosened my hold enough for him to talk.

“Yes, I like it. I like control over everything and everyone, except for fucking. Then I want someone else to bend me over.” He shrugged and looked away from me. “Do you imagine anyone here would dare do that? Humans respond to us naturally by submitting and… other supernaturals rarely interest me.”

I nodded slowly, thinking the ways of his tribe, with their strict rules against foreign wolves, probably weren’t helping the situation much. A fresh wave of arousal hit me as my body crowded his, and I realized my rolling hips had taken the reins from me and were responding to his lust.

Without trying to move my hand away, Ganz brushed his knuckles over my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers trailed farther, playing on the back of my neck and making me groan. Putting a little pressure on it, he guided my lips to his. A soft brush turned into something fierce, with tongues and teeth clashing. I moved my hand higher, my chokehold tight around his jawline, and held him in place as I explored his mouth. I nudged his legs, spreading them wide, and stepped between them, pressing our throbbing cocks together. We both moaned at the contact and I could have sworn I felt his knees give out.

About Alina

Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.

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Giveaway!

Win a $10 WIP Gift Card, 3 signed Bookmarks, and 1 ecopy of Strength to Let Go!

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Review

Title: Strength to Let Go

Series: Tales of the Werewolf Tribes, #1

Author: Alina Popescu

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (145 pages)

ISBN: 978-1-925222-55-5  

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing (July 7th 2015)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Leigh

Blurb: After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.

Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.

His death.

Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.

Instead, he saves him.

Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.

Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.

Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?

Product Link: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/strength-to-let-go-by-alina-popescu/

Review: This book was interesting, unique, and sexy as hell.  It grabbed my attention from the moment I started reading and did not let up until the end.  I was engrossed in the story of Shiki and how he moves on from something that would have truly destroyed lesser men.

I loved Shiki.  He was an interesting mixture of old world warrior and modern.  With his love of fighting and manga he is very likeable and easy to relate to.  I felt so bad that his two fae mates decided to just up and leave him.  They almost broke him and would have if Shiki hadn’t made the decision to try to end his life by stepping foot in the Siberian Killers territory. 

What should have been the battle to end his life ended in Shiki making a powerful friend who was able to bring him back.  I really like Ganz.  He was easy going and the perfect man to help Shiki see that he could go on with life and make it.

Then Blake was introduced.  As Shiki’s best friend for decades Blake knows everything about Shiki.  They are so in sync with each other that they really make the perfect pair.  Blake balances Shiki in a way his two fae mates never were able to do.  Blake takes care of Shiki in such a sweet way. 

I really enjoyed reading them falling in love in a completely different way then they always have been before.  Yes here is angst along the way, at least until Shiki gets his head out of his ass and faces up to what he can really have with Blake.  Shiki lets his doubts and fears that he is not enough almost destroy what he and Blake have started.  But luckily he comes to his senses.

I loved this world and the characters Alina Popescu has created and I most definitely want to read more.