Willard Meeks—aka The Tank, Los Angeles’ official superhero and former children’s librarian— wants someone to love him for who he is. Not for his bulletproof skin. Not for his larger-than-life public persona, carefully curated for him by his manager, Hopper. Finding someone who shares his passion for kidlit—especially picture books—wouldn’t hurt either.

Grace Kekoa didn’t expect much when she joined BlindDate, the no-photos-allowed dating app—just someone who knew the difference between Beatrix Potter and Harry Potter. What she got was Willard: thoughtful, kind, and passionate about books. He feels like a once-in-a-lifetime match. So why is he reluctant to meet in person?

When a doomsday cult threatens to unleash a supernatural monster, Hopper wants Tank’s head in the game—not buried in flirty messages. Besides, Hopper’s already got the ideal, publicity-friendly match for Tank—a gorgeous fashion designer with media appeal and key intelligence on stopping the bad guys.

Now Tank is caught between saving the city, resisting Hopper’s PR-perfect matchmaking, and falling for someone who only knows half of who he is. If he can’t figure out how to balance heroics and heart, this might be one story that doesn’t get a happy ending.

First Place winner of the 2025 Olive Woolley Burt Awards for New Voices and 2026 Whitney Award Nominee, Tanked will steal your heart, then hand it gently back to you wrapped in hope.

Sign up now to get the most out of Books2Read

Discover something great at Books2Read.

Thanks for signing up for Books2Read notifications!