GRR Reviews Within These Walls (The Walls Duet Book by J.L. Berg

Within These Walls is a "redemption" romance where the guy had somehow wronged the girl and needs to redeem himself. The emotional turmoil was very raw, but I find the part about glossing over hospital paperwork unrealistic.

To recap, Lailah has lived most of her life in a hospital, or near it. She had a congenital heart defect, and her time is running out. One of the orderlies in the hospital, Jude, found her fascinating and befriended her, but he's hiding a deep dark secret. He lost his fiancee three years ago due to an auto accident. He was barely injured, but she was brain dead. In his grief and denial, he managed to convince her parents to NOT donate her organs despite her donor card. After her funeral, he basically abandoned his life and began work as an orderly in the hospital, refusing to let go, to the point of being cut out of family money. It was later, to his horror that he realized he had denied Lailah the heart that should have saved her and allowed her a normal life. He dedicated his life to help Lailah every way he could, including fulfilling her "bucket list". When Lailah's insurance denied her coverage of transplant, Jude made the decision that will change both of their lives forever...

A little on the angst-y side, about a man who loved so deep he had to haunt the place she was last alive in, and the girl who can't seem to get away from the same place for long. Sweet, but I find the idea that the hospital can "hire" someone without training to be a bit on the "oh really" side. There's an explanation for that near the end, but it really doesn't really make sense. I think the ending was also a bit too long, but that may be just me.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman with heart defect falls for the kind orderly, who is hiding a huge dark secret related to her and his own loss

Tropes: doctor (orderly) / patient, different worlds, grief, redemption, disguise

Overall Rating:  4/5