Ministry of Supernatural Affairs #1: Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton book review

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. In 1851 London, the Great Revelation has forced supernatural species into the open under the rule of a vampiric Queen Victoria and her dhamphir consort, Prince Albert. Cora Hastings, the government’s Species Ombudsman, enforces new laws, negotiates interspecies contracts, and keeps civic order amid djinn, vampires, selkies, and demons now living in polite society. When the Devil himself decides to visit London to see Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition, he brings his dangerously attractive son, Marcellus. Cora must escort the infernal pair through the city and manage their disruptive presence while uncovering a conspiracy timed to the Exhibition’s opening. Faced with threats to the fragile peace and to Britain itself, Cora is forced into an uneasy alliance with Marcellus. As politics, paperwork, and desire collide, she must choose between duty and an unholy partnership that may be the only thing standing between order and catastrophe. 

What a great start to a new series!  This series will be perfect for fans of Gail Carriger and the TV show Lucifer. The setting—an alternate Victorian London still adjusting to seismic social change—offers familiar trappings (tea rituals, public exhibitions, deference to rank) reframed by supernatural politics, creating a richly textured backdrop for courtship. Some people want to go back to the old ways and Cora knows it's her job to prevent any violent plotting. Cora is a pragmatic, competent heroine whose devotion to duty and dry wit ground the story, while Marcellus provides the brooding, devoted counterpart whose demonstrations of care evolve into genuine intimacy. The romance unfolds amid witty worldbuilding and gentle satire—bureaucracy meets infernal absurdity—so readers who appreciate slow-burning attraction, period manners, and clever reimagining of historical figures will find both charm and heat here. I love that Cora lives in a boarding house with a fairy and a succubus! I had to laugh when the author detailed the super hot son of the devil...who loves to cook. The book balances cozy domestic details and grand-scale stakes, delivering emotional payoff alongside the escapist pleasures of Victorian romance with a fantastical twist. 

This book is set to be published August 25, 2026. Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.