Love, Politics, and Other Acts of War

A Gentle Apocalypse #2

by M.H. Foster

Book 2 of A Gentle Apocalypse Series, from the author of Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan, now a #1 Amazon Best Seller in Humorous Fantasy (US Kindle) and #1 in Parodies and Humourous Dark Comedy (UK).

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, peace is hard to find in Lower Middleton, a quiet village full of gossip, feuds, and one dangerously charming succubus—who also happens to be his "cousin."

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 pretending he’s just a humble turnip farmer.

A cozy, laugh-out-loud fantasy of infernal bureaucracy, reluctant heroism, and small-town chaos.

Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Good Omens, and anyone who likes their comfort reads served with sarcasm, tea, and a touch of demonic meddling.

Start your next infernal vacation in Lower Middleton today.

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

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2026

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

[Will Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[SeveredTherapy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lull in the middle, but strong finish.

This continues where Book 1 left off. It felt a bit dry in the middle, dragging out getting to the Harvest Festival, but once we got there? Good lord, it was freaking awesome.

Stick with it when it gets droll. I promise its worth it.

Off to book 3, now...

4.25 out of 5 severed thumbs-up.

[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....

[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.

[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.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world is still fun, the Demon Overlord is still dryly amusing, and the cast of motley supporting characters is still entertaining.

That being said, this second book felt pretty rushed and uneven… it was slow to start and only intermittently picked up, and it never really seemed to coalesce. There were also some pretty noticeable formatting issues and a few places where editing just didn’t seem to occur.

I still felt like it was worth the time to read, because some of the turns of phrase were clever, and I do like the characters. I kind of hope the next one gets a bit more attention before publications, though.

[Ashly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purely accidental luck on my part, this was released a whole 5 minutes after I finished the first book, which I randomly picked up from KU while looking for a short and funny read. This was a great continuation of the series, which picks up pretty much right at the end of book 1. While I have not found these lol funny, I have enjoyed them. The characters and story are great, and a good way to spend a couple of hours if you want something light to read. I will be reading book 3 when it comes out.

[C.R. Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much a continuation of the first book, well-written and warm. There’s a lovely battle scene which takes place off the page and you get it through retelling, which helps to keep the peril at bay. Not that I’m peril averse but it doesn’t half make the book easier to read. The problem with it though is that there’s never any real stakes so development is a bit of an issue.

That said, if you’re reading book two you already know how the book is meant to feel so if you want stakes, look elsewhere.

It’s fun, it’s easy to read and it’s enjoyable.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as fantastic and well written as the last book. The humor is excellent and the banter has me chuckling to myself constantly. The story is extremely well done and clearly thought out.

The only place this book falls short is the romance. Like the last book it feels a little forced for the main character. The side charcter romances make sense and don't feel that bad. This book does try to elevate that a little bit more. The main character talks more to Clara and you see their conversations. If anything I could be misjudging the romance and it's going to drag on over a few books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Riotous Hit…

Once again I find that I have devoured another book in this series and laughed the whole way through. And once again we find Willem dealing with more magically inspired disasters (that darned river he rerouted is biting him in his behind). If you haven’t already read the first book - stop and read that before reading this one. Otherwise you won’t understand what and more importantly why, this all happened. If you love humorous writing then you will absolutely appreciate this series.