Claimed by Midnight

by Jenny Pineapple

One broken heart. One dangerous game. One night that changes everything.

After a brutal betrayal by his boyfriend, Eli returns to his quiet hometown to lick his wounds. But peace was never an option—not when Damien, his older brother’s best friend, is still there. Grown-up, rough around the edges, and watching Eli like he’s something to devour.

When the town’s twisted summer tradition—The Midsummer Chase—turns the night into a masked, purge-style game of predators and prey, Eli finds himself alone in the cornfields…and very much being hunted.

But it isn’t just anyone chasing him. It’s Damien. And he’s done watching from the shadows. He wants Eli. He always has. And tonight, he’s going to take what should never have been his.

In the heat of one summer night, Eli will be caught. Claimed. And changed forever…

THEMES /
🔥 Brother’s Best Friend
🔥 Obsession / Stalking
🔥 Masked Man
🔥 Chase Kink
🔥 Small Town Secrets

Please check the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

Genres: M M Romance, Novella, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Gay

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eli retreats to the family farm after catching his high school sweetheart cheating on him with another dude. He runs into his brother's best friend Damien, who he's always been super attracted to.
The two end up joining The Chase, a town tradition where participants put on masks and chase each other through the woods (look, I don't need it to make sense really, but the plot of this one was particularly odd haha). Eli is pretty sure Damien is the one chasing him, but he also thought Damien was straight...

“You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about this,” he continues, his grip on my neck tightening. “About hunting you through the dark. Tracking you like prey. Catching you and making you mine.”

Great wholesome HEA ending!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Eli + Damien 🖤
Brothers best friend | Mutual pining | Primal play | Gay for you and only you


I enjoyed these two together.

I would love for this author to go back and write full versions of a couple of these short stories. She packs a lot of feels in these novellas leaving you wanting their whole story.


Only complaint is some of the dirty talk were lines I've read 100 times. Felt like copy and paste.


....


"Years of wanting, of watching, of burying these feelings so deep I convinced myself they didn't exist -- all of it culminates in this moment, in this chase. Tonight, I stop pretending. Tonight, I take what I want."

"Time suspends as we stare at each other, years of unspoken desire crystallizing in this moment. Then I crash my mouth against his -- a collision more than a kiss. Years of restraint shatter as I claim his lips, pouring every ounce of my repressed longing into the contact."

....


⚠️potential spoilers below in detailed tropes, content and warning lists






Tropes/content:
Brothers best friend
Best friends little brother
Mutual pining
Gay for you and only you
Masks
Primal play
Bareback
Barn sex on hay
Doesn't let him walk - carries him to the car, carries him into the house
Touch him and die
Light bondage
Marking
Naked sub and clothed dom
Good boy
The brother is shocked at first (of course) but supportive
Passion
Roughness with sweetness
Small town
Size difference
Confessions- I've wanted this so long, etc.
Jealousy
Possessiveness
Begging
Tell me what you want
Strict roles



Warnings:
Mentions of cheating - Eli is back home because his ex cheated on him
During the chase Eli is first grabbed by a creep before Damien finds him and throws the guy off

[Moraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, in true JP fashion. I often find primal play outside a paranormal setting a little… over the top but I think JP managed it quite well in this.

Expect
- Age gap
- Size difference
- Edging
- Brother's best friend
- Possessive MC
- Small town

Kindle freebie: 19.9.25

[acalithas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh this was SO hot! My only issue is that it ended too soon!!!! I would have gladly read like 200 more pages of Damien and Eli. Loved it!

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

older brother's best friend/best friend's younger brother, primal play (chased through a corn field), "it's always been you" vibes, MINE, obsessive/possessive/slightly unhinged MC x MC who is into it, barn sex, restraint

Damien had the kind of energy that made me wonder if he was a secret Mulvaney brother (iykyk) and I was as here for that as Eli was.

“You have no idea,” I growl against his throat, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. “No fucking idea how long I’ve wanted this. Wanted you.”

“I’m going to tie you down.” I move closer again, the rope held between us like a promise. “I’m going to worship every inch of you until you forget anyone else ever touched you. And then I’m going to claim you so thoroughly you’ll never doubt who you belong to.”

“I’ve always been yours, Damien. I was just waiting for you to claim me.”

*
*
*
*
*

Safety (may contain spoilers)

SA/rape: Creepy side character tries to assault Eli but he is immediately stopped by Damien.

Other person drama: Eli was cheated on by his long time (6 years) boyfriend before the start of the story. He is talked about more than I'd like but Eli is definitely not into him anymore. A woman that Damien used to hook up with is around but not really a threat.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️

Call me easily pleased or overly generous, I don’t care. But this is yet another Jenny Pineapple’s short that I’m adding to my all-time favorites. GOOD GOD this was incredible.

I’ve been reading MM books, manga, fanfiction — you name it — for nearly 9 years now. It takes a lot to give me butterflies these days, but this book absolutely did.

Damien’s possessiveness, obsession, and protectiveness toward Eli had me completely feral. I usually read smut scenes with a straight face, like I’m reading the morning newspaper, but this time I couldn’t. My jaw dropped multiple times while reading, I was kicking my feet, giggling, looking like an idiot. I was a goner.

I hope JP never stops writing these shorts. I could keep reading them for the rest of my life.

[B.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! Ended way to quickly for me but I know that this is a novella.

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ☆

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny Pineapple knows just how to grab her readers' attention. A short story. Passion. A hint of darkness. Perhaps a little forbidden. It's all here, it can all be read in one sitting, if like me, you might be a little addicted to her stories and it is a keeper, as are its characters. I think I may have lost count of how many book boyfriends I have now, at least there is choice depending on my mood!

Eli is back home nursing a broken heart, his childhood sweetheart and long-time boyfriend cheated on him and now he is feeling raw and lost. His parents and older brother are trying to carry on as usual but when he won't open up about it they almost leave him to his own devices. Almost because his brother had arranged a night out. Himself, his best friend Damien and Eli. Little does he know that Eli has harboured a secret crush on Damien since he was 16. Damien, the straight, rough around the edges, now grown up best friend of his older brother. But is Damien as straight as Eli believed? The annual corn maze race is about to open the eyes of reader and characters alike.

Sexuality is not defined by cut and dried definitions as this story proves. Kink, fantasties, desires, can be vanilla at one end of the scale, dark at the other but as long as those participating are always consenting, aware of the care and attention their partner needs and deserves, they should be explored. That is just what happens for Eli and Damien, reader prepare for your eyes to be opened, your heart to race and yourself to fall in love with another Jenny Pineapple story.

[Anne Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting
I’ve got to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this reading and found it very exhilarating.
Eli is back in his home town after finding he’s now ex-boyfriend cheating on him but when he he sees his brothers best friend Damian again he can’t hide that he is still attracted to him.
Damien knows as soon as he sees Eli that he’s feelings for him have not changed. Damien has always come across the straight but there is just something about Eli. when Damien and his best friend take Eli out for a drink, a group of old friends come over and kind of dare Eli to be part of the Midsomer chase through the Cornfield’s. This is consensual people wear masks run around cornfields from midnight till six am and if you get chased and you get caught what goes on between you both stays in the cornfield. But who will chase Eli??
I will find myself reading this book again and again there was just something really exhilarating about the chase and the fact that Damien and Eli finally Admit what they feel for one another. A really great Read. Hope we hear more stories from the cornfield..

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

'My secret teenage crush on my brother’s straight best friend. The ultimate cliché— and the last complication I need right now.'

I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun, very steamy and exciting quick romance. I loved both Eli and Damien. The chemistry between them was scorching. Eli had always had a crush on him, and Damien had pushed them down for all those years after Eli left town with his boyfriend.

'My chest tightens with an emotion I don’t have a name for. It’s been there for as long as I can remember, this fierce, possessive need to shield him. To fix whatever is broken inside him. To hurt whoever hurts him. The intensity of it unnerves me.'

The game of The Chase is fun for primal play, and a bit terrifying in it's consequences if you're caught by someone you don't want. Eli's encounter with Damien was hot! You can really feel their connection and wanting. I loved how it all played out. I wish this story was longer. My fingers are crossed for a sequel because I definitely want to see more of these guys! I'm also really curious what threat Damien whispered to Blaze in the cornfield. This story would make an amazing audiobook! 5 stars.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was short and kind of spicy. Could have been spicier for a masked man chasing his prey but I still enjoyed it. I wish it was longer and more fleshed out. It would have also been satisfying to see Jamie’s cheating ex come to win him back only to find that he’s now with Damien. That would have been great to see!

The only cheating is Jamie getting cheated on by his bf. He comes back to town and sees his brothers bff, Damien who he’s always secretly wanted. Spoiler alert Damien has always wanted him to. They have an annual masked chase in their town and Damien is determined to get his man. There’s some flirting and getting hit on by other people but neither are interested. No break up because it’s not really long enough for that. It’s very HFN. Feelings were exchanged but no I love yous. I wish for an epilogue.

[Raven || The Reader Identity · Rating 5 out of 5]

{Claimed by Midnight by Jenny Pineapple}
📱: EBOOK - Kindle Unlimited
2026📚: 76/150
☆☆☆☆☆

💘 Damien + Eli

I really loved the one!! Like, probably my favorite because while it was too short, i loved evert second of it, even the ending.

Soooooooo hot. SO HOT.

I think everyone has a bit of dark in them and just the THOUGHT of a masked hunting game is thrilling and arousing. And the way Damien hunted Eli. The way Eli knew it was him. The primal, tense, ADDICTIVE dark vibes.

Gah! 🥵🥵🥵

But then it was sweet and emotional. Damien and his vulnerability. Eli and his confidence returning. I could've read 200 more pages but LOVED it.

🅃🅁🄾🄿🄴🅂
🖤 mm contemporary romance
🖤 brother's best friend x best friend's little brother
🖤 masked hunting game
🖤 secret pining

▪︎
▪︎
▪︎

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, and thought that the forbidden romance angle was done well and without any drama from the older brother, thankfully. However, the chase part that initially got these two together was a bit disturbing, especially when it was almost someone else who got Eli and not Damien.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoy stories by this author and this one is now a fave! This is a forbidden relationship with primal play, so a little darker than previous stories. All I can say is: go, Jenny, go! This was hot, exciting, and a joy to read. Eli and Damien were electric together and I wouldn't have minded reading more of them!

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it's definitely NOT a dark romance, it was truly enjoyable!

Once again, I would have loved a full novel of them. They had potential as characters. As a novella, it was a bit too rushed.

I would have loved more primal play since it was the setting of the book, but that part was over too soon as well.

As a novella, it was good.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked how The Midsummer Chase gives Eli and Damien the opportunity to finally act on their long held feelings.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed something short and easy to read after a couple of DNF and this fit that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cute brother's best friend story with mutual longing for years prior. It makes the happily ever after a believable one.

[Neisha † The Poet † · Rating 4 out of 5]

S

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤 Damien & Eli 🖤

𝑰'𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖.



𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅.



𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒆𝒏. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒎𝒆.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into stories with a brother's best friend, this short one's for you.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man comes back home with a shattered heart. Well the beginning and the ending were really good, but for me that middle bit was just plan silly , just not my thing.

[ElseM · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't it for me. I dont usually read short stories, because I think there's too little time to really build up character and get in all the feels. I tried this one because I read raving reviews and I was in for some smut. But nooo, just as I feared this story stayed very much on the surface. So I didn't get into it at all and then it was already over.