Review: Secrets, Secrets, Secrets....
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2013
"One of the most beautiful qualities of friendship is to understand and to be understood." ~ Lucius SenecaBook 1 in the Ariya Adam's trilogy's biggest theme to me was "friendship." This Lucius Annaeus Seneca quote was extremely relevant because this group of friends truly had to be accepting and understanding of each other in order for their friendships to survive.  In life you often find out things about the people you love that you have to learn to "accept" even if you don't initially understand it.  I think Ariya learned this lesson in book 1 of her trilogy.Ariya is your average college girl, who enters her senior year and learns some life changing things about herself and those around her.  This new understanding brings her closer to some of the people in her life....and causes her to fear others.I liked this book because it truly showcased this tight knit group of friends that protected each other, no matter what. It is always refreshing to read a book where you love more characters than you dislike :)  This book was filled with an amazing group of "supporting" characters.  Everyone needs a best friend like Caroline, who deals with your mood swings, gets up no matter what time it is to listen to you cry/complain/vent about your life, and always has the perfect cup of coffee or tea waiting for you when you need it the most...or a sexy best friend like Riley, who is always there to pick up the pieces after the most recent jerk lets you down, always has welcoming arms to hold you, and there may just be something more there yet to discover....then there's Nick, it's always a nice to meet a new friend that you feel cares about you just as much as your old friends do, who is equally protective, and just happens to be your best friend's (Caroline) new beau.  Throughout this novel I found myself wishing I had a group of friends like this when I was in college....however, the number of wonderful qualities they possess, they also possess an equal number of secrets.  Will Ariya be able to handle it all and keep those friendships when all is revealed?Enter James...if ever there were a swoon worthy new guy, James is the King. He transfers into Ariya's college during Ariya's senior year and turns her world upside down.  After a string of disappointments in her dating life, she was content and resigned to finishing out her senior year enjoying her friends while being single.  However, one look at James and those well made plans are up for debate. James quickly becomes a staple in her core group of friends. The more time Ariya spends around him the more she is drawn to him, and the more the attraction grows.  She waits for him to advance, yet they seem to take 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.  Will this attraction go anywhere or is it one-sided?With the arrival of so many new students transferring in during their senior year, not all of them fit in with group.  Devon, at first glance is extremely attractive, yet he is just as much an enigma.  Although he seems to have ties to Ashley, he can't take his eyes off Ariya.  Although she does her best to stay away from him, Devon plays a huge role in the life changing events that soon overtake Ariya and those she has grown to love.If you want to know the answers to the questions I posed, I suggest you read Protected for yourself :)  It was definitely a fun and interesting paranormal read that kept my attention, and has me looking forward to what happens next in book 2.  I would definitely give Protected by Anna Applegate 4 out of 5 stars!!!I'd give a 5 star rating...I'm only taking away a star because there is soo much attraction between some of the characters, I was itching to read more "HEAT" lol  so it's nothing against Anna's AMAZING writing skills :)