Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother

The Red Corner #1

by Jenny Pineapple

The desire I never learned to bury shows up bleeding at my door.

I’m an ER doctor. Controlled, rational, and very good at pretending I don’t want what I shouldn’t.
Especially my stepbrother.
Lucian Graves was supposed to stay in my past, along with the underground fights, the violence, and the fantasies I never let myself name.
Then he shows up at my door at night. Hurt. Dangerous. Unavoidable.
Letting him inside is a mistake. Wanting him is worse.
Lucian doesn’t just bring trouble. He brings temptation. And once the door closes, there’s no pretending I don’t want him anymore...

Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother is a 15k-word, MM spicy dark forbidden romance novella, featuring:
🔥 Stepbrothers
🔥 Doctor × underground cage fighter
🔥 Hurt / comfort
🔥 Dual POV
🔥 Obsession & repressed desire
🔥 Dark, emotional heat with HEA

Genres: M M Romance, Novella, Erotica, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, LGBT

71 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2026

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

I’m fully aware that I’m watching porn with my stepbrother, but somehow it doesn’t feel as weird as it should. Maybe it’s the blood loss. Maybe it’s the absurdity of the whole situation. Or maybe it’s because this particular video is hitting me in ways I didn’t expect.

Estranged stepbros reunite when one gets himself in a bit of trouble and ends up on the other's doorstep, bleeding and asking for help. Soon they're watching porn together and hooking up, culminating in an implied HEA. The story was smutty but very cute, with a decent plot.

I lean closer to him, lowering my voice. “Look at you, little Goody Two-Shoes. You’ll sit here and tell me I can’t jerk off in front of you, but just before I knocked on your door, you were about to do the same thing to a video where a guy who looks exactly like me is fucking a guy who looks exactly like you.”

[Kati *☆･ﾟ]

3*** stars
♡ Dr. Austin Parker & Lucien Graves

it was hot. it was fine. nothing more, nothing less.

“That’s private,” Austin says.
I ignore him, watching the video for a few more seconds before looking up at him. “I didn’t know you were into guys.” What I don’t add: muscled, tattooed guys who look like me fucking guys who look like him.

“You’ve always been mine, Austin.

***********
The Red Corner Series

Book 1 - Good/Bad Stepbrother - 3.0 stars
Book 2 - Tamed by his Touch - 4.0 stars

[Cath]

3/5 ⭐️

I told myself, “Okay, Laura, you should take a break from smutty novellas and pick up a longer, plot-heavy book instead.” …Luckily, my name isn’t Laura 🤭

I’m slowly getting through all JP’s shorts, so I couldn’t skip this one. Like the others, this one’s very filthy and a perfect read before sleep.

“All that time staying away from each other,” I mutter, almost to myself as I sink another inch into his heat. “Like it was ever going to work.”

[Reading With April]

Short & spicy. This is just the pallet cleanser I needed 🥵

[Tay]

5⭐️

This one was short, hot, and forbidden and I loved every second of it.

The whole step brothers aspect was hot af and they were so HOTTTTTT TOGETHER!!

I’m obsessed with them and ughhh they are so cute I can’t.

SOOOOOO GOOOOOD

71 page mm step brothers novella with them having tension and hot steamy s^x and cute confessions overall it was one hot book and ahhh love them so much


💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊

Quotes:

“Mine,”

“You’ve always been mine, Austin. Even when you were with her. Even when you pretended you didn’t care.”

“Yes,”. “Yours.”


“You like that?”

“F^ck , you do. You like being your stepbrother’s s!ut.”


💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊💋🥊
MY FAVORITE PARTS:


God, I’m kissing my stepbrother. The man I’ve tried so hard to forget.


Austin’s arms wrap around me, holding me close, and for the first time in years, I feel like I’ve come home.

Home used to be a place I escaped to, a fortress against a world that demanded too much. Now it’s wherever Lucian is, and that makes all the difference.

[Whitney]

Austin + Lucien 🖤
Stepbrothers | Opposites | Years of longing disguised as hate


This was meh.




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






Tropes/content:
Novella
Stepbrothers
Opposites attract - good boy, bad boy
Doctor
Illegal fighter
Years of want and longing disguised by hate - from both sides
Didn't know where else to go vibes - shows up in his doorstep injured after they haven't seen each other in years
"Baby bro" from younger to older one, mocking
Rimming
Dirty praise
"Tell me what you want"
Biting
Marking
Bareback
Lots of confessions
Strict roles
HFN?
Epilogue - "months later" - Lucien quits fighting, they don't really discuss a future in detail. At one point they say "let's go home" which seems like they live together. You don't see their parents finding out.


Warnings:
Gun shot wound to MC

[Kate Russo ❦ (Rina Kent’s Version)]

3.75 stars!!

Oh my gawddddd this was so fucking good!!! These two were so wholesome and hot omgggg. The way Lucian found out Austin was attracted to him bc he was literally watching two guys fuck that looks exactly like them was so funny 😭😭

[theshadyivy]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🫦🫦🫦

Austin & Luc

A quick and spicy read about very opposite stepbrothers.

🔥 Stepbrothers
🔥 Doctor × underground cage fighter
🔥 Hurt/comfort
🔥 Dual POV
🔥 Obsession & repressed desire
🔥 Dark, emotional heat with HEA

104/26

[Sara Jane]

Short and spicy. 🥵🥵
Austin and Luc

Austin cut of contact with Luc for 3 years until one night Luc shows up injured. Tension is high and things get heated when secrets are exposed.

💥stepbrothers
💥secret pining
💥watching from afar.

[Leigh Gaskill]

good quick read

This was a very good and quick read. This worked out very good for a novella. I was hoping there was a story for the PT that we saw at the end but I didn’t see one.

[acalithas]

I enjoyed this a ton! So very hot! I loved Lucien and Austin together!

[Lola]

Estranged stepbrothers (bad boy x golden boy), "I had no where else to go" vibes, doctor x underground fighter, "mine", queer for you, mutual obsession, MARKING

Another spicy little JP one shot.

“I didn’t know you were into guys.” What I don’t add: muscled, tattooed guys who look like me fucking guys who look like him. That’s the most interesting part of this whole situation.

“Mine,” I growl against the fresh bruise. “You’ve always been mine, Austin. Even when you were with her. Even when you pretended you didn’t care.” “Yes,” Austin admits, his voice breaking. “Yours.”

He’s beautiful in the way dangerous things often are.

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Safety (may contain spoilers)

SA/rape: None

Other person drama: Austin was previously engaged to a woman who was partially to blame for the stepbrothers' estrangement. She doesn't actually show up in the story, just talked about.

[Ren || The Reader Identity]

☆☆☆☆

This one was a bit tooooo quick. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, I just REALLY needed a bit more for these two guys because their baggage was a bit heavy and it was GLOSSED over.

Austin is a prim and proper doctor with a deep, dark secret. One stormy night that secret shows up at his door with an injury and a scowl...Lucian, his cage fighting stepbrother. The tension was superb but when Luc sees what's playing in Austin's browser, things flip from anger to heat.

AND, their sexy times were fiiiiiiirreee. Seriously, the dirty mouths, the filth, the taboo. So friggin hot and fabulous. Both of them were so hot for the other. It was inevitable.

Again, this one was fine but way too short. Definitely the first I've read from this author that didn't quite hit the mark.

꧁𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁꧂
[pov]: 1st, dual
[spice level]: 🌶🌶🌶
[roles]: strict top/bottom
[om/ow drama]: 🚫
[3rd act breakup]: 🚫
[sport]: cage fighting

♡ taboo/stepbrothers
♡ doctor + cage fighter
♡ perfect son + troubled son
♡ sexual awakening

[Betty Loves Books Galore]

This is a stepbrothers to more romance novella, featuring Lucian and Austin, and is book one in the Red Corner series.

Austin is an ER doctor trying to ignore his feelings for his stepbrother, Lucian, and leave the past behind. But when Lucian turns up injured at his door, old feelings return and resisting him becomes impossible.

I really enjoyed this one. These two stepbrothers collide together and finally give into their feelings. I want more!

Things to expect in this book are:
Book 1 in series
Novella
MM romance
Stepbrothers to more
Doctor × underground cage fighter
Hurt / comfort
Hurt / caregiver
Obsession & repressed desire
Mutual crush
Porn mishap & dare
Spicy times & dirty talk
Admit feelings
HEA hint

[meg]

Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother: ★ ★ ★ ★

Jenny Pineapple (The Red Corner, #1)

We’re both damaged, both carrying scars—some visible, some hidden. But maybe that’s what makes us fit together so perfectly. The jagged edges of one filling the broken spaces of the other.

Tropes:
– Forbidden (stepbrothers)
– Enemies to lovers

Always a fun, spicy time! These are perfect palette cleansers when you need something quick and hot between bigger reads. They hit every single time.

[BookshelfKisses]

Super short story (70 pages). I picked this up to get me out of my slump. It made me laugh a few times and the idea was kinda cute, so 2 stars it is. I’ve seen people saying this is AI, but i don’t know. If that’s actually true, I’ll drop this to 1 star because we don’t like thattttt. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[malia ݁⋆⭒˚.⋆]

3.5 stars

a short hot and cute novella <3

[giulia]

that was very disappointing.
the smut wasn’t hot and the story (as little as it was) felt rushed

[Sara Husser]

👊All that time staying away from each other, like it was ever going to work🩺

"This is going to be interesting. Me and Austin locked up in the same house after years of silence. Like throwing two feral cats in the same cage. One of us is bound to draw blood."

"I didn't know you were into guys." What I don't add: muscled, tattooed guys who look like me f****** guys who look like him.

"He's hard too. Watching a video of two guys who look like us, and he's f****** hard."

"My theory is that little Goody Two-Shoes is not so good after all. That when he's alone, when all the curtains are drawn and the doors are locked, he secretly dreams of his stepbrother's c***."

"I've spent my whole life being proper, controlled, respectable. Right now, I just want to be taken."

"All that time staying away from each other, like it was ever going to work."

"Mine. You've always been mine, Austin. Even when you were with her. Even when you pretended you didn't care."
"Yes. Yours."

"Austin's arms wrap around me, holding me close, and for the first time in years, I feel like I've come home."

"We're both damaged, both carrying scars--some visible, some hidden. But maybe that's what makes us fit together so perfectly. The jagged edges of one filling the broken spaces of the other."

This was another amazing book by Jenny. I feel like I say that about every book she writes 😅. But it's true! I'm excited to start this new series and I hope we get more stories in it. This book has some great troupes like: Stepbrothers, Doctor/Underground Cage Fighter, Hurt/Comfort, Obsession, and Repressed Desire. The spice in this was spicy as hell 🔥🔥🔥🔥. I love how we got a peek at the next couple at the end. I can't wait to read their story next.

This story follows Austin and Lucian. These two are stepbrothers who lost touch 3 years ago. Austin stopped responding to Luc. Austin is a doctor and Luc is an underground cage fighter at the Red Corner. Austin is watching some porn when Luc comes banging on his door. Luc is shot and Austin patches him up. He makes Luc stay. Luc ends up looking at his laptop and sees the porn playing. Luc taunts Austin and things get spicy and heated fast 🥵🔥🔥. These two realize they have some unfinished business and some truths are revealed. Can these two both finally take what they've always wanted? Each other.

I loved how these men were complete opposites. Luc was a tatted, muscled, rough cage fighter. Austin was a straight-laced, golden boy doctor. But when the clothes came off, these two were filthy and feral 🥵. I loved their connection and chemistry 🔥🔥. I loved the dirty mouth on Luc. I loved the pining and obsessive traits they both had with each other. Especially Austin's stalker tendencies 🤣. I loved the sweet vulnerability between them. These two fit together perfectly. I'm excited to see where this series goes! 👊 🩺🩸🥼🍷💻🥵

[Kitchen Sink Books]

Austin is apparently, the goodytoshoes brother, Lucian the bad boy. As stepbrothers it seems almost natural that they played the roles of good boy and bad boy. The fact that continued into their adult lives is not surprising once you see the roles they have taken on. Austin is the ER doctor who doesn't know how to slow down and has always had a part of himself elsewhere. Lucian is the fighter, the one who attracts trouble but who has never forgotten Austin.

Jenny Pineapple once more captures, perfectly, the mismatch between two men, the almost-but-not-really forbidden nature of a relationship between them and the dark-light that draws them together despite everything. They need one another as much as day needs night and vice versa. We need their story like a thirsty person on a hot day, it fills us with something we hadn't realised we needed until we tasted it and couldn't stop.

It's almost-forbidden, it's hot, it's harsh, it's addictive.

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

[Alix]

This is the start to an exciting new novella series by Jenny Pineapple and I am so here for it. Austin is the good one, the ER doctor who keeps his emotions under control and does what's expected of him. Lucien is the bad one, the cage fighter who also does less than legal stuff on the side, who is fiery and tough and independent - excepts when he need Austin to take care of him. After years of not talking, one night Lucien needs Austin's help and shows up at his house...only to catch wind of what Austin was watching on his laptop....and the dam bursts open wide. I love how these MCs come together - both of having built up years of longing and pining and other emotions until it becomes to much to hold in. I love that one of them is obsessive and protective, watching the other from afar. This novella is spicy, has that juice stepbrother/forbidden aspect to it, and encapsulates this moment in time. Can't wait for the next!

[Holly]

I always love this author’s books, and this one was no exception.

Short, spicy, and emotionally charged in all the right ways. Jenny Pineapple knows exactly how to deliver dark, forbidden MM romance that still hits on connection and hurt/comfort, even in a novella-length story. The tension between these two was immediate, intense, and impossible to ignore, and I was fully locked in from the first page.

Yes, it’s taboo. Yes, it’s messy. And yes, I ate it up anyway.

If you’re in the mood for a quick, spicy read with obsession, repressed desire, and that signature emotional pull this author does so well, this absolutely delivers.

🔥🔥🔥 Highly recommend for fans of dark MM romance.

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

[Latecia Jennings]

So far, there's not one of Jenny Pineapple's books that hasn't left me with the WOW factor. The author puts a powerful punch in their novellas. This one...Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother was an intense emotional read that should have had the taboo wariness but all I read was a running misunderstanding that lasted too long between stepbrothers that actually had love for each other. Forbidden love...perhaps but all in all...love. Well it got down and dirty towards the end with the revelations and all, but oh was it soooo good. Loved their HEA. I can't wait to read more in this series.

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

[Tia]

Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother is about Austin and Lucian, they are stepbrothers who haven't talked in years. Austin is a ER doctor, so when Lucian one night is behind Austin's door hurting he helps Lucian.

This was a quick and steamy book, I liked it. Although this was a short story, the characters were well written and there were a depth to it. I want to know more about Riley and Jacob.

-------------------------------------------------------
I received a copy of this book, and this is my honest review

[Maureen]

I know, I know, with a title like that we know it's going to be naughty, I just couldn't resist. This was an interesting read because of the differences in these two brothers, the good doctor and the rebel fighter, both with chips on their shoulders, their overdue reunion is explosive. There's a variety of emotions here, tense in the first part, flipping hot in the middle, and then . . . well, you read it and find out. The very ends seems to drop a hint to maybe another story I think, I hope.

[Jenifer]

It's brutal, bloody, dark and passionate. This book doesn't hold it's punches, but let's it all out in brutal honesty. It's about old ghosts of the past, healing for the future, and giving into a passion that's been building for years. It's incredibly erotic, loving and healing. Such a fantastic story.

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

[Debbie Benson]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Austin and Lucian had always had a crush on each other but others got in the way. I'm glad they found a way to be together as they always wanted.

[TheBookishHen]

3.5 🌟
Spice: open door
Format: ebook, novella

It's a novella so the plot is minimal and the spice is delicious. I liked their dynamic, straight laced and bad boy. They had a good connection and I enjoyed the writing. The end felt a bit rushed, but for 71 pages it was decent.

[Amanda Reeves]

Good Stepbrother, Bad Stepbrother is the first book in the new Red Corner series and was a really good start. This is a short and steamy, forbidden stepbrother read about Austin and Lucian. Loved this book and can't wait for the next book.

[Paige]

Step brothers to lovers. I enjoyed this, just wished it was longer. That sex scene though? Whew!!! I was fanning myself.
No OP drama or break up. Very HFN. No love declarations were made which was a bummer.