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On the surface, I'm a successful CEO with friends in high places. But in the shadowy underworld, my connections to the largest crime family in the world are what make me truly powerful.

I'm used to getting everything I set my sights on, so nothing will stop me from getting the woman I crave-even if she's too pure for this evil world.

Katarina is focused on her thriving career, with no time for a romance, even one that ignites her darkest desires. But I'm determined to make my beauty change her mind, especially when I discover who she really is.

Reconnecting with her father, boss of the Ruthless East Coast syndicate and personal friend of mine, plunges her into a brutal world of ostentatious wealth, danger, and crime family vendettas.

My innocent mafia princess will need to accept me for the domineering man I am, someone who must be in control at all times. Because it will take everything in my power to keep her protected from the savage dangers of the underworld.

But will any chance at love between us survive when she learns the real secret of my past?

Degrees of Innocence is the riveting first book in the Cruel Deceptions collection by Via Mari. It is a deliciously dark, opposites attract, boss and employee, billionaire mafia romance. You will love this collection where the passion is fiery, loyalty is fierce, and the stakes are high. This story is full of suspenseful twists and turns, leaving you on the edge of your seat one moment and fanning yourself the next. Each novel builds on the next. It is most enjoyable read from beginning to end with a guaranteed HEA in the final book, Degrees of Power.