True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends - One Star in the Night Sky (Light Novel) Volume 1

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends (Light Novel) #1

by Kosuzu Kobato, Fumi Takamura (illustrator)

"I have to stop this engagement, no matter what it takes!"

Fiona isn't one to live an everyday noble life. Instead, she finds more fulfillment in working hard. But when she overhears her father planning an arranged marriage for her to her childhood friend, she's desperate to stop it! Luckily, she meets Giles, the son of an earl and the town darling who's also hoping to avoid marriage. Together they hatch the perfect plan to thwart their parents' by pretending to be soulmates! A flawless plan that can't possibly go wrong. Right...?

Genres: Light Novel, Romance, Audiobook, Historical, Manga, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2024

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you didn't know you were reading a light novel, you wouldn't know. This charmer of a book is a pitch-perfect historical romance novel, with a strong core conceit and smooth execution. The fake relationship is combined with an interesting art forgery subplot, and the whole thing is just really comfortable and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this and am looking forward to starting the next volume. I love the fake relationship trope and he falls first AND that there is more to this book than just a romance.

4, I really enjoyed this one and am starting the next now, stars.

[Helene Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

But why was this so cute 😭. This had so much more depth than the other light novels I have read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful characters. Clever writing. ★★★★½

I enjoyed everything about the story, except the way the narrative jumped around. Otherwise, I enjoyed the characters and the premise. Normally, I feel that the pretend relationship trope is a tired one. In fact, I just took a star away from another book earlier today for that very same trope.

What made me enjoy this version was the cleverness in the writing. Fiona would mention a character in passing, but then the character became integral to the plot several chapters later. This happened over and over again, showing how interconnected Fiona was with society while also showing how a low self-esteem damages one’s outlook. We learned not to trust Fiona‘s viewpoint. I think that was fascinating, I’ve seen it done before, but this was done well and enjoyable. I don’t think that the Earl has much of a personality yet, but Fiona is delightful.

[Mk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem! There's no release date yet for v2 which is killing me, but two volumes of the manga are scheduled. Please give me a second volume of the light novel! I love this.

[Wordsworn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely soft and cute "fake dating" story. Fiona is great, a whip-smart and good-hearted female lead who I could really get behind. Giles is still a bit of a mystery, but it's obvious (to the readers, and to Rick, too) that he's already falling in love with Fiona. Nice to see a story where the female lead isn't considered a great beauty outwardly (not that she's ugly, just described as "plain"), but is instead treasured for her inner beauty. :)

I read this book in a single day, and will likely devour book 2 in a similar fashion whenever it arrives. <3

[Also of note, there are some typos, and some of the language is repetitive or isn't quite right for the time period (calling Fiona a "girlfriend" is waaay too modern for a story where they're literally riding around in horse-drawn carriages), but I assume that's a translation issue rather than the source material.]

[Sharakael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I anticipated, rating it 5 simply because the story contained all the tropes I enjoyed.

I loved that the MC was pragmatic and knew what she wanted in life, even if her assessment of herself was rather lacklustre, but that also happened to be a trope I enjoyed. I loved the pacing of how their relationship progressed, reading it just felt natural.

Despite the usual contract relationship trope, this story felt more mature in the way it handled how the characters treated each other, which put this squarely in the low-drama category for me.

Really enjoyed it, I immediately started the second volume.

[Anh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't my go-to genre for a light novel, but after reading a sample I decided to get it. I went in expecting a fluffy romance and an easy read and that was exactly what I got. Although the writing in the last few chapters I felt was a tad weaker than the first 3/4 of the book, it was a good read for what it is, especially the cute teasing between the two protags - I found myself chuckle a few times. It doesn't have to be grand, but I do hope to see some character growth in vol 2, alongside their relationship development (which of course is a given).

[Angelica Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the read

A cute quick light novel with great main characters. While it gives the typical dense characters who don’t realize they’re falling for each other, while in a fake relationship, it’s still a refreshing take. I look forward to get more backstory on the ML and more scenes of the FL showing off her skills in the next volume.

The mystery element is a nice touch and keeps the story interesting. I would recommend to those a fan of The Tales of Marielle Clarac.

[Cress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, this kind of slaps.

This is a perfect light novel for fans of historical romances. Especially for those who like a slow burn, like myself. I sense potential yearning in the future and I'm here for it.

The translation was perfect and if not for the cover and illustrations, you wouldn't be able to tell its a light novel.

I'll be back for the next installment for sure.

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder who is gonna realize their feelings first…. My bet is the guy while the girl is like “why do I get all fluttery when he holds my hand?”

Super cute with a bit of mystery in regard to the whole art matter.

[Jordan Prim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book shows you multiple ways to describe something all on one page. Please, just say what is happening and move on to the next part of the story. Don’t try and re-describe it directly following you describing it. 💀 This is a first for me in reading. This poor author needs a better editor.

[Luz T · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cute story but….but…I thought it was just a one book story. Since it’s a light novel and I didn’t see a 1 anywhere I thought this was it…but alas the story continues 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Wetcheese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute! I read it in two days, it honestly felt like I wasn’t even reading because I was that interested :)

[Kimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy story to read, I LOVED the pictures that were throughout the book. Made visualizing the story and reading more fun. It reads like a normal historical romance novel, cant wait for book 2