Jude Wilde, a man who looks forward and never back, is not happy to find out that his latest assignment is to play bodyguard to ADA Libby Pruitt, a woman left behind.  Their relationship ended very badly and Libby wants nothing to do with Jude and thinks that the threats are out of proportion.  But when someone tries to kill her, they have to relocate to a safe house in Florida.  With nothing to do with their time and unable to leave the house, can they ignore the attraction that still simmers between them?  And the heartache that their parting caused?

Tonya Burrows treats readers to another hot and spicy one with Wilde Nights in Paradise, the first book in her new “Wilde Security” series.  Unlike SEAL of Honor, her first book in her “Hornet” series, this one is more about the relationship than it is the intrigue side of things.  There is a mystery about who is stalking Libby but most of the book focuses on them getting to know each other again and whether they can come to terms with what happened eight years ago.  It is just as engrossing, with addictive characters and a fluid writing style.

Libby has to decide if she can ever trust Jude again.  His actions all those years ago devastated her and she pulled back into herself, never fully letting go of the hurt.  But as she gets to know the man he has become, she starts to see his many layers and realize that she may not have known the young Jude as well as she thought.

Jude has some demons that have been haunting him for a long time, things that he’s been carrying around (and adding to) since he was a kid.  There’s so much more to him than what he shows the world and the more time he spends with Libby the harder it is to hide that from her.  He’s a good man – strong, courageous and caring – but he’s spent a long time thinking bad things about himself.  The ending had me in tears, so thrilled to have him finally find acceptance.

The mystery over Libby’s stalker is resolved nicely although it plays a small part in the book since it’s basically just the catalyst to bring these two together.  Wilde Nights in Paradise is really about learning to forgive, letting go and loving again.

And since this is the beginning of a series, we’re also introduced to Jude’s brothers and, I’m sure, heroes of future “Wilde Security” books.  They aren’t a big part of the story, not like the other members of Hornet were in SEAL of Honor, but we’re given just enough details to be tantalizing.  And for those that have read the “Hornet” book, we’re also given more details about Seth Harlan, the sniper who was mentioned but did not appear in SEAL of Honor.  As I suspected, his book is going to be a heartbreaker … I can’t wait to see more from Burrowes with these two series.