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Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series #1) by Via Mari ~ Review by Liz Vrchota

Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series, #1)Degrees of Innocence by Via Mari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Via Mari was a completely new author to me when I first picked up Degrees of Innocence. I was drawn in by the gorgeous captivating cover and didn’t even need to read the blurb to know I had to find out what was written on the pages within. I was not disappointed one bit that I had scooped this up! Bonus, is that more of the series is already available to pick up so I will be bingeing on the series right after I finish this.

Degrees of Innocence is the kick off to the steamy Prestian Series. When I say steamy, I mean steamy, so make sure that is your thing, and that you are all good with some kinky stuff too. Think Fifty-Shades of Grey. Wait though, don’t jump too much to comparisons because this has its twists too. That will lie in the suspense layers of the story. None of which was predictable and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Katarina, or Kate but really I love Katarina, is such a girl next door. She has it all together internally and smarts wise. When it comes to love and social I think she has some major growing to do. Hence the Degrees of Innocence. She has the naiveté that needs to be broken and the sexy billionaire Chase Prestian is just the man to do it. There is just a few small hitches…

I can’t wait to find out what will happen next in book two, Degrees of Acceptance! Happy Reading!

Review by @lizaileen
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Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series Book 1) by Via Mari – Review by Heather Bahm

Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series, #1)Degrees of Innocence by Via Mari
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Via Mari’s first book in the Prestian series is Degrees of Innocence. Being the first novel read by the author, I always look for something solid that sets up that story to be great, whether it’s the characters, the story line or the detail that is written in. In Degrees of Innocence, Via Mari captures all of that and more. This book is tastefully written to include the intriguing suspense that tugs and pulls throughout. The erotic undertones are ever present, but tame where needed and emotionally burning right where it should. The author has exceeded in sharing a story/series that is cleanly written with amazing characters, a challenging story line.

Reviewed by @hbahm

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Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series Book #1) by Via Mari – Review by Angela Hayes

Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series, #1)Degrees of Innocence by Via Mari
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Degrees of Innocence is the first book in the Prestian series, and debut novel by Via Mari. It is a romantic suspense that’s full of action, danger, secrets, hidden agendas, humour, and some mystery.
Katerina Meilers (Kate) is a design consultant who has has been hired to help design a new state of the art medical facility in Chicago. As part of the planning process the whole team has been flown to Aruba where they will spend the week on a brainstorming and design forum. Kate has arrived a few days ahead of time to get things set up and ready for the coming week. An unusual crisis on her first night on the island introduces her to a very sexy and charming man who she can’t stop thinking about. They end up having dinner together the next night and exploring the island. The chemistry between them is electric. She thinks there may just be a chance at finding something special with him. So, imagine her surprise to find on Monday morning as the team assembles and introductions are made, to find the man of her dreams is the billionaire owner of the Corporation that has hired her for this project. She doesn’t date colleagues, let alone her boss- ever. But what happens when dangerous situations occur that seem to target Kate specifically? Has it got something to do with chase and his ‘business’? Or is it something more sinister?
This was a really great story that easily pulled me in and kept me engrossed the whole way through. I loved the chemistry between these two, Ms. Mari built the tension beautifully. The same with the suspense- she definitely had me guessing and trying to figure out what was happening. The only thing that thought could do with a little improvement is that the sex scenes, particularly the first 75%, seemed quite awkward- like the author felt quite uncomfortable about writing them. The language used in those scenes also didn’t match the rest of the book and seemed a little old fashioned. It did improve a towards the end, so maybe the author was gaining confidence. It seemed to be a bit of a teething problem which will hopefully get better over time…. I hope that is the case for the rest of the books in the series (which are all available now).
Also, there were some points in the story where the transitions seemed a little abrupt, clipped or stilted- but again I am putting that down to the author ‘finding her feet’. The story itself is really great and I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

Thank you, Ms. Mari!

Reviewed by @angelahayes
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