Tanked is the third book in the Eastside Brewery series and I haven't read the first two. So let me confirm that this can 100% be read as a standalone.

Angel and Deanna had a (scorching) one night stand three years ago - then she ghosted him. When a booster clinic brings them back together, Angel is ready to jump in but Deanna's not so sure.

So this book is hot. Like really super scorching hot. But it's also really somber. Deanna is dealing with a crisis in her professional life, Angel is trying to help his family's business to survive, and covid is all around them. In some ways, it all feels very real. I really enjoyed the ways in which Deanna and Angel connected and supported each other. Family is a big part of both stories.

I have two criticisms - First, I feel like the book wrapped up really quickly. Maybe it's just a fast read, but the resolutions felt a bit rushed to me. Second, and this is maybe more about me than the book, Tanked takes place in a world where covid is taken seriously - everyone is masking, you have to show proof of vaccination to get into an underground fight club, and people are generally careful. At this moment in time when mask mandates are evaporating, it felt like a fantasy... or like it took place a year ago. But it is the first book I've read that's fully in a covid world, which I respect.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.