The Marriage Of The Heir (Book 1): An Arranged Marriage Romance (Book One Of The Royal Heir’s Series)

by Josey Mood

Aisling Klein's life is turned upside
down when Donald Presley,
the President of the wealthy
Presley family's empire, dies suddenly.



Despite her reluctance, she agrees to
the request of Nora Presley,
the Matriarch, to start courting
the man she was betrothed to.



However, the Heir, Duke Presley,
is determined to marry his current
girlfriend, who is supported by
his mother. When Aisling discovers
that she holds the key to Duke's
inheritance, she must navigate
this complicated situation while
also dealing with deeper issues and
learning valuable lessons about
love and sacrifice.

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2023

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Booktok on TikTok got me with this book. Maybe the rest of the story gets better but I won't be reading to find out. Both main characters waffle too much for me and the story seemed to be missing a lot of background information.

[Amber Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An addictive start to what promises to be an emotional, tension-filled series.
The Marriage of the Heir by Josey Mood is one of those books I picked up out of curiosity and ended up reading late into the night. The premise isn’t unfamiliar: an arranged marriage with stakes, secrets, and family pressure. But what sets this one apart is how much emotional tug-of-war happens between the characters and within the main character herself.
I really enjoyed how the author handled the uncertainty around the wedding. There’s this ongoing question of whether Aisling will go through with it or finally choose herself and that tension runs through nearly every chapter. It’s not just about love or obligation; it’s about identity, expectation, and control. I found that internal struggle surprisingly relatable, even though the setting is so far from my own experience.
There were definitely moments where I felt a bit frustrated with the back-and-forth—it felt like we were circling the same emotional territory at times but I also think that was intentional. That hesitation, that push and pull, made the character feel real. It also made the moments of clarity and decision feel earned.
I’m giving it 4 stars because while I was hooked and emotionally invested, I would’ve loved a bit more depth in some of the side characters (especially Duke) and maybe a few tighter plot beats to balance out the repetition. That said, I’m definitely continuing the series. Josey Mood has built a world and a heroine I want to follow—especially now that things are just starting to unravel.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

**SPOILERS**This book had so much potential. Unfortunately, the only reason I didn’t DNF is because I hate not finishing a book I’ve started. There is so much missing here. Like, Duke doesn’t seem to realize he has an arranged marriage, but later stated he didn’t put any effort into making contact with Aisling over the years. His relationship with Edna seems superficial at the start and then it’s suddenly supposed to be this deep meaningful relationship. The same happens with Aisling and Antoine. At the start he’s a friend that asked her out and she said no because she was engaged to Duke but then all of a sudden it’s like she’s in love with him and they have this deep relationship. None of that was ever developed. It’s like the author just decided to make that drama happen without thinking about how build it. There are weird mistakes. At one point Aisling is frustrated and decides to call her brother. She’s telling him these big feelings and even though his character seems to care deeply for her he just glosses over this major thing happening to her and starts to tell her the real reason he called… but he didn’t call.. she called him. Duke is the most wishy washy MMC. He deserves neither girl. Like I said, this has potential but the author needs to build some depth and correct the little detail errors.

[Polly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style is not good. There was a lot of useless dialogue with various characters. There was a lot of chatter but not enough substance. There wasn’t enough interactions between the h and H. It was going to be a very slow burn. Their initial meetings were very flat with no sparks at all. I want to punch the H for flat out saying that he wants to marry his longtime gf but he needs the h to go along to play his fake wife for 2 years in order to appease his grandmother and keep his position as the president of his family’s business. The h was very naive and too easily influenced by various characters who had their own agendas. There was a lot of back and forth whiplash.

I finished book 2 in the series and glad to see the H and h finally get their HEA. I won’t be continuing with the rest of the books.

[jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive nonsense

I don't really leave reviews, but this book irked me. The concept had a chance but gets lost in the mundane writing style. The obscene amount of chapters essentially repeating and repeating filler material does not develop the story. The story does not draw you in enough to be left with a "cliffhanger". Needless to say, I do not need another book with some 50 odd chapters of mindless nonsense to know how this story ends. And half the book is just a character saying or thinking another character's name or the ridiculous "Aunty" nickname that grown adults are using to refer to their aunts.

[Diana Losa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sick of tiktok all these mfs do is lie.

[Ravensreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has potential

It's been a rough and slow going. All this and forth, will she say yes or will she back out. It got a little tiring but I'm hopeful the series picks up soon.

[Alex E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciated Dean much more in these 2 books than the next ones. And he is not the MMC
Duke is the least Alpha of all Alpha's... Torn between commitments and his feelings. But he never makes a decision...
He seems to be attracted to the FMC yet he still sleeps with his girlfriend.
So what was his plan to have both of them?
The FMC was a bit stronger but still did not draw any lines. And my monologues after monologues.. it got boring in the end.
But what really upset me is that Duke was sleeping with his girlfriend while entertaining the idea of the arranged marriage and it is evident that he only got with the FMC because his brother Dean wanted her...