Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton – Review

Published: August 25, 2026

Publisher: Berkley

Series: Ministry of Supernatural Affairs #1

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 352 (Kindle)

A Copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
A tantalizing pact between an ordinary woman and the silver-tongued son of the Devil is all that stands between Britain—and all hell breaking loose.

1851, London. All supernatural species have emerged from hiding, a result of The Great Revelation, led by Her Majesty, the vampiric Queen Victoria, and her dhamphir consort, Prince Albert.

Cora Hastings is the British government’s Species Ombudsman, a human tasked with keeping the peace between supernatural creatures. It’s run-of-the-mill work: enforcing the newly created shifting parameters, negotiating contracts between species, and generally making certain all Londoners are treated equally.

That is, until the Devil himself decides he wants to leave his hellish home and see the results of Prince Albert’s greatest accomplishment, the Great Exhibition. His arrival could upset the uneasy peace between creatures, and worse—he’s brought his son.

The Marquis of Hell is diabolically good-looking, unnaturally perceptive, and, well, a demon. Cora navigates her sinfully seductive diplomatic assignment as best she can, until she catches wind of a secret conspiracy set to come to fruition at the opening of the Great Exhibition. This leaves her with an impossible choice: Either Cora enters an unholy alliance with the Devil’s son, or she watches as her world is torn asunder….

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I picked this up because I do love a good supernatural version of our world, especially one set in 1800s London. It’s always fun to see how authors handle such a situation. Are the supernatural beings public about existing? Are humans okay with this? What’s the overall tone of the story? My very favorites are the ones that inject a healthy dose of humor into the whole situation.

Demons and Diplomacy follows Cora Hastings, the one and only Species Ombudsman, who serves as the human liaison between the various supernatural creatures. Cora is assigned a particularly daunting task when the Devil himself announces his attendance at the Great Exhibition. He’s arriving with his retinue an entire month before the Great Exhibition and Cora is charged with seeing to their every need and keeping them out of trouble. Cora needs a raise and probably some therapy.

Of course the arrival of the Devil doesn’t remain a secret and does in fact present a problem with the religious orders of the day and age. Supernaturals and humans alike are concerned about the presence of demons and there are several incidents that Cora must deal with. Fortunately for her the Devil’s son, the Marquis of Hell, is keen on having a smooth trip and he helps her clean up all the messes. He also happens to be gloriously handsome and a total flirt (though he’s subtle about it). 

This book has all the hallmarks of a book I would love. HOWEVER, the execution was somewhat lackluster. I felt the threats to the Devil’s person weren’t all that serious and any potential politicking that would come from such a diplomatic visit was utterly nonexistent. I almost said sidelined, but for that to happen it would have had to have been there in the first place. Cora and Marcellus (the Marquis) were flung together very quickly and developed feelings for one another that were all lust and no substance. The author also missed a perfect opportunity for a full Victorian romance, with all the manners and society functions, but it felt too modern. Overall, it was a quick, fun read that I wouldn’t return to for seconds or sequels.