Love, Politics, and Other Acts of War

A Gentle Apocalypse #2

by M.H. Foster

An annoying long-lost "cousin," war, and the prospect of love all threaten the Demon Overlord's tranquil retirement in the edgy, funny follow-up to The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan. Includes an exclusive bonus adventure coming 10/20/26!

There's no rest for the wicked, especially when they have family next door.

After centuries of conquering kingdoms and terrifying the cosmos, the Demon Overlord just wants to retire in peace. Unfortunately, when one dangerous succubus and a couple of feuding barons come to town, peace is hellishly hard to find.

Now Willem Porter (definitely not Galornus Prime, Destroyer of Worlds) must navigate enchanted pickles, noble politics, and the delicate art of staying out of trouble. All while convincing everybody he’s just a humble turnip farmer with a perfectly normal goat.

Love, Politics and Other Acts of War is a cozy, laugh-out-loud fantasy of infernal bureaucracy, reluctant heroism, and small-town chaos. Perfect for anyone who likes their comfort reads served with sarcasm, tea, and a touch of demonic meddling.

Genres: Fantasy, Cozy, Magic, Humor, Romance, Cozy Fantasy, Demons

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2026

About the author

I write cozy fantasy fiction and other types of short stories and novels.

For those of you who have read my books, please visit my patreon page for regular updates and short stories from the worlds of A Gentle Apocalypse and Janissary.

https://www.patreon.com/mhfoster

Reviews

[Achim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Still cozy, still fun but not on the same level as the first book. Maybe Galornus already settled in too much, maybe there are no real surprises, maybe no one expects anymore that the demon overlord's cover will be blown or maybe some teaching becomes too obvious. The friction between Galornus/ Willem and Rajani, the Queen of Succubus was nice to watch but the slow burn love story between Willem and Clara was a bit lackluster. In a way I wasn't much surprised that Clara didn't happen while the Baron's resided at Willem's home.

This time the retirement adventures were a nice palate cleanser … so maybe I shouldn't have read it right after the first book.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Layla MP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book way more than the first (and I really enjoyed the first one!), mainly because all the groundwork had already been laid. The humour also levelled up—I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. The storytelling was a huge improvement too. I felt like the first book dragged a little in places, but this one fixed that and kept me hooked from start to finish. Willem did a-lot of self reflection this book and the biggest take away is that sometimes you do not have to do anything but let everything play out. but I just wish he had done a bit more to show us why he’s the Demon Lord in the first place. Either way, I loved it, and I’m so excited for the third book!

[Will Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’re telling me there are love, politics and other acts of war?

[Ryan Patrick]

A fine continuation of the series. I was worried that Rajani would just be annoying, but instead she was just the right amount of inconvenience. Time for Willem to get the show on the road with Clara, though!

Looking forward to Sally's continued development in the next book, too.

[Eternity's Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

Love, Politics and Other Acts of War was a great and funny follow up to book one of the Gentle Apocalypse series.

I enjoyed Willems continued reluctant manuverings and his world weary patience with those around him. I also found it a treat to see him being outmanuvered in this book. Though I did find the establishment of new characters and their personalities and how they fit into the village to be weaker than in book one, which is what dragged it down from a 5 star read for me.

This was still cute and cozy though and I really enjoyed it as a palate cleanser read, same as book one.

Looking forward to book three.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more serious sequel, but still delightful fantasy

I'm in love with Willem...and Sally, and Prometheus, and Ferdinand, and Rajani, and Arthur, and all the original and new inhabitants of Little Middleton. There is romance, laughter, conflict, and PICKLES. The story flies by, and I'm sorry when it ends. I read Love in KU but will buy it to reread.

[shawn murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has been wet here. Unlike the dry humour present in M. H. Foster’s book Love, Politics, and other Acts of War.
Picture yourself. A quiet retirement taking care of turnips in a small village. Then people start to muck things up. Sigh….
Okay maybe you happened to be the Demon Overlord. You deserve some peace too? Just when you got things settle your old Succubus finds you and threatens to spill the beans. That’s not the worst, bureaucracy rears its ugly head. Could mean disaster for Willem and his quaint town.

[Jill Paschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Politics, and Other Acts of War by M.H. Foster was a fun and easy read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. The story blends romance, politics, and humor in a way that makes the pages fly by. I enjoyed the characters and appreciated how light and engaging the book felt without sacrificing an interesting plot. If you’re looking for something enjoyable and easy to get lost in, this is a great choice. A solid four-star read for me!

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 2026
Kindle edition

This is one of those series that I am defo going to binge read all the way through once completed. It was fun, mostly light and the demon lord was a little more active than the previous, again leading to another cliffhanger that he should've seen coming. Crazy goat, a succubus minion finding her own place, the DL losing his prized pickles and training. Loved this one. Looking forward to the next one.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying the short books in this series so much. Gentle humor, pleasant story telling and entertaining characters, the perfect read for me in this moment. I'm looking forward to book 3.

[Shamim Sinnar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first one better—this one is a bit too happy happy. Less wry.

[Marisol Puga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful to have found this demonic cozy series. Someone out there gets me.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

May be my second favorite cozy series ever.

[Rachel Boss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the wittiness, the cleverness and the brilliant navigation of politics. Could we please apply this in our world?!!!

[Christopher Kerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short fun fantastic series so far.

Just a simple clever and charming book about a demon overlord and his love for humanity lol

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I LOVED this!!! I read the first one needing a palate cleanser from my book slump. Then I’ve spent the past 20 days waiting for this one to come out!! So warming and innovative. Found family trope always wins for me

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. What could go wrong when the Great Demon Overlord decides to retire to become a turnip farmer in a hamlet? Very amusing.

[Modith Wickramasinghe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely worse than the first book, especially in the sense that nothing really happens.
Our main character seems to simply exist with almost zero impact to the story itself.
Still very cozy but also Languid

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first book in my opinion - maybe because the world was more fleshed out? Regardless still very enjoyable

[L.H. Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series makes me grin

Same fascinating characters, the quasi-good and quasi-evil folks finding family and community in the weirdest ways. The ethics undertone in the story keeps you reevaluating whose side you should be on in any world, but the juxtaposition of jaded demon overlord and overachieving turnip farmer is delivered with such deliciously dry humor you can't help but root for the (retired?) villain. I know I do.

[Tonya OK]

No, can’t do it. The first book was funny, though it dragged a bit. This one is worse. There’s still the same humour, though it feels forced. Like the story is there as a vehicle for the humour vs. humour just being a feature enhancing story telling. The plot was kind of silly and uninteresting. Not much happened. Also, the characters remained quite flat and underdeveloped. I don’t know what the point of Rajani was either. Just could not get invested.

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good story but Willem's flat emotional state kind of spills over into the tone of the story.
A lot more happens but it all felt the same somehow. That's the only way I can describe it....

[Jason Kelsall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still stand by this being a great series find - I genuinely can’t remember where I first saw it recommended, but it’s such a refreshing switch up.

That said, I will admit this wasn’t holding my attention in the same way book one did. I think bringing Rajani into the story as someone who knows Willem is Galornius Prime was a really good decision, but for the first half of the book I just wasn’t particularly invested. The story felt like it was dragging, and it wasn’t until around the halfway mark that it really found its momentum.

This book does exactly what it says on the tin: love, politics and other acts of war. The surprise for me, though, was that my favourite part of the book ended up being Clara and Willem’s storyline…(the woman was too stunned to speak). Let me preface this by saying I hate romance, so I was genuinely shocked that I found myself leaning into their relationship. Maybe that’s because other aspects of the story weren’t grabbing me as much, but I also appreciated that their relationship wasn’t constantly shoved in your face.

I also really liked the storyline with the two barons after the joust, being forced to live in Lower Middleton and take on farming and village duties. I don’t usually enjoy forced proximity as a trope, but watching their constant bickering and hatred slowly turn into cooperation felt subtle enough that I ended up really enjoying it.

I still love the dry humour throughout, and Prometheus continues to have my heart. That said, the animals were the biggest reason I loved book one, and I really missed them here. Prometheus, Buttercup, Thunderhoof and Ferdinand all felt like they took a major back seat. We still get little moments with them, but it often felt like they were popping into scenes just to remind the reader they still existed, rather than actually being part of the story. When the animals have such distinct personalities, it’s hard not to notice when they’re absent. That said, whenever Prometheus did appear, he reminded me exactly why he was my favourite character from book one:

‘I opened my eyes and walked briskly to the shed. The door hung askew, the lock broken clean off.
Prometheus stood inside with his rear protruding through the doorway, munching on my winter vegetable stores. The indentation in the door frame told the story - hind legs, perfectly aimed kick.

Prometheus wandered over, acting for all the world as if he hadn't been the enabler who'd kicked down the door. He took position by my side, pretending to exude disapproval.

I might have hip-checked Prometheus back into the shed and then accidentally locked him in. The thick corded rope I tied around the entire shed might have been overkill, but you never knew when it came to Prometheus.’

I also still don’t think I fully understood Rajani’s role in the story. I never quite grasped what their end goal was or what they were actually hoping to achieve by coming to Lower Middleton. That could absolutely be a me problem, but I finished the book still feeling a little confused.

The difference between the first and second half was night and day. The first 50% just wasn’t holding my attention, but once the barons arrived in Lower Middleton and Willem entered the joust, I was completely on board. From that point onwards the story felt so much warmer and cosier, and I found myself enjoying it far more.

One thing I really appreciate about this series is that the world actually progresses. Some small stories keep the same characters in the same place, just doing different things. Here, Lower Middleton changes from book to book. New characters arrive, the village evolves, and it feels like the story is actually moving forwards rather than standing still.

I do wonder whether the series will finish with book three, though. Both books have ended on a very similar style of cliffhanger, and I’m not sure that can be repeated a third time.

Overall, I definitely preferred book one, but I still had a good time and will absolutely be continuing with the series.

Side note: I’m so annoyed. I bought the first two UK paperback books with the…let’s be honest…terrible covers. I’ve just gone to order book three, only to discover the UK editions have now been redesigned with much nicer covers, and book three is on pre-order until December - with books one and two also being republished to match. I knew I should’ve waited and bought them all together.

[Trey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emotionally, he doesn’t grow much from the first book to this one. He’s been living in Lower Middleton for over a year now, and he’s almost as naive as when he first stepped into it. This is someone who has lived over 400 incarnations and has infiltrated civilizations once or twice to corrupt them and eventually watch them topple. I’d expect him to have more experience with how humans function, and human cuisine, than he shows in this book. Almost everything he experiences is like a newborn discovering it for the first time. Again, he’s been around the block. Most of it may have been as a demon overlord, but surely he’d have more experience than what’s shown here.

In some ways, Galornus Prime is written in a way that feels autistic coded. As someone on the spectrum, I appreciate this, but I don’t feel it was the author’s intended purpose. The book also wants you to see Rajani as the bad guy so badly. However, without her there would be no story, no conflict, and no growth.

Overall an enjoyable read, but nothing that will stick in your memory more than a few days or weeks after reading. Typically I would have given this story a 3 out of 5, but due to the author’s admission of using AI in the writing process, it’s hard to tell what was written by them and what relied on AI. For that I have to give it a 2 out of 5. I will happily bump it up to a 3 if the author were to be a bit more transparent on that subject.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the previous book and wanted some time between reading them as I knew I'd want a palate cleanser after some big action and fighting heavy books and I was right. So when the time came I had this one on standby and was ready to continue on and see what happened next. I had some worries concerning Rajani and those were cleared up right away. She's not hyping her old boss up but she's not actively messing up his plans and seemed curious as to trying out the mundane lifestyle. At least for now and she's a lot of fun. Sally is starting to grow up and I'm not sure where her story will go but in previous incarnations she probably would be on the way to being a villain mid tier boss, but suspect she might go the traveling hero route complete with pet hellhound. As for the possible courtship it looks like it could be happening but who knows when, it didn't really go far in this book with the two nobles causing issues in the area. It also doesn't look like many are fooled by Willem's appearance anymore and he's been revealed as someone who had been a part of the previous hero's party and people are getting suspicious but they can't definitively prove anything just yet. These books have been really enjoyable and I'm hoping the next book won't be the last of them.

[Heather N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise of the first book: demon tired of demon-ing, decides to take up a new identity and become a turnip farmer in a small, sleepy medieval village. Shenanigans ensue. Demon makes friends, reluctantly, and inadvertently, makes the village a better place.

Good times.

So, when Rajani, the Queen of the Succubi is introduced at the end of book one, I was excited. Great potential for something fun. However, I spent most of the book alternating between Rajani (she flits in, takes over things, and meddles - but I guess it's supposed to be harmless?) and being exasperated with Willem (Dude, she's building new additions onto your cottage - would you just say something?) because for a demon overlord, he walks around for the most of the book with either his tail between his legs (ha!) or being clueless about important things.

Still a fun read. I'll likely read the third book when it comes out because I am invested in the characters.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed book 1 better than this one. This one was fine, it was much slower and Willem is really quite clueless as to his control of everything around him. Having Rajahni join the group was both cute and even more telling with how far outside of his comfort zone Willem is. The change in his relationship with Clara is quite sweet as he really stumbles when it comes to emotions and communication. She is putting up with alot that just seems a bit strange some times. The skirmish between the baronies shows the political savvy that Willem does have. An additional issue with mercenaries occurs off-book and is told by a messenger with little violence described. The scenes with Sally have really shown a huge amount of growth. The concerns for her safety seem necessary since she really doesn't have a careful bone in her body!
I look forward to book 3 when yet another character from Willem/Galornus past comes to visit.

[The Man from DelMonte · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Laugh out loud’ is stretching it a bit. Cozy works best when it avoids sentiment and whimsy. Whimsy is what brings down Harry Potter in the end, after all. There’s only so many MacGuffins you can put in before even the most willing suspension of disbelief crumbles under the weight.
Anyhow, back to this confection. It’s formulaic and syrupy to begin with and I nearly DNF’ed at the half way point, but then it picks itself up until the last chapter when it undoes all its good work.

Addendum I’ve just discovered that the author used AI in the ‘writing’ of this. Which boggles my mind. They needed assistance to write this? It’s lightweight to the point of insubstantiality. Was it the five or six letter words they needed help with? I’m gobsmacked

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. In a way I'm sad that I read it immediately after finishing the first book, b/c ... it wasn't a novelty anymore. So the newness was gone of the beauty of the book - but don't mistake that for loving it really any less.

It's delightful, and I've already started the third book hahahaha.

But it's great with the addition of Willem's COUSIN, and it keeps the same heart and threads of delightfulness. Again, cannot recommend enough. But I feel like purchasing copies is reserved the first book, it's the gateway, give it out and get people sucked in.

I love the development of Sally, and the continual development of Willem. GO READ IT. NOW.