Cruel When He Smiles (Sinners of Blackthorne U #3)
Avery Collins
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
4.46
· Steam/Spice level: 5 of 5
Explicit and plentiful [?]
· 12 ratings · 464 pages · Published: 04 Oct 2025
... and Nate Carter was made to be broken.
Liam
I was trained not to feel. Taught to observe, manipulate, and control.
Nothing prepared me for Nate Carter.
He’s stubborn and beautiful in his resistance. The harder he fights, the deeper I sink my teeth in. I engineered the therapy sessions so I could get closer and watch him unravel. To dissect his fire and watch him spiral from the inside out.
But Nate is fury wrapped in lace, and he makes me feel things I was never meant to feel.
Want. Possession. Hunger.
Now, I can’t stop. Not until he’s mine; broken, rebuilt, and burning just for me.
Nate
I knew Liam Callahan was dangerous the moment I met him.
Too perfect. Too polished. Too in control.
They said the anger management sessions were routine, but nothing about Liam is routine. He gets into your head with softness, pulls you apart with praise, and leaves you craving the pain he caused.
So why do I keep going back?
I don’t know what’s real anymore…what’s me, and what’s Liam’s design.
***
Cruel When He Smiles is the third book in the interconnected Sinners of Blackthorne U series, but it is a complete standalone. Readers are advised to approach with caution and ensure they are comfortable with the listed triggers and content warnings before proceeding.
This is not a traditional romance. Reader discretion is advised.
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Tagged as:
- enemies to lovers 2
- sports 2
- soccer 2
- new adult 2
- bdsm 1
- forced proximity 1
- gay romance 1
- queer romance 1
- college 1
- dark romance 1
- bad boys 1
- cruel hero/bully 1
- possessive hero 1
- athlete hero 1
- anal sex 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- self harm 1
- third party abuse 1
- past child abuse 1
- past abuse 1
romance tags
The 'Sinners of Blackthorne U' series
4.42 · 54 ratings
dual-pov · college · athletes · queer · explicit-plentiful · from hate to love · sports · new adult · m-m · dark · possessive hero · bad boys · self harm · length-long · anal sex · contemporary · hurt-comfort · tortured hero · past-child-abuse · cruel hero
Sinners of Blackthorne U reading order and complete book list ❯
