Ceylon, 1906: Stella Polegate steps off the ship in Colombo harbour, her heart beating with contradictory emotions. As her father's unofficial research assistant, she's thrilled to explore this island of ancient temples and verdant tea plantations-yet painfully aware that her brilliant mind will remain uncredited, her academic ambitions dismissed simply because she is a woman. When her father's doctoral student makes unwelcome advances that escalate to violence, Stella's carefully ordered world shatters. With her reputation and future hanging in the balance, she finds an unexpected ally in Norton Baxter, a principled young civil servant whose growing disillusionment with colonial rule mirrors her own questioning of societal constraints. As Stella navigates the suffocating expectations of colonial society, she must make an impossible choice. Should she accept the limitations imposed upon her gender or fight for the academic future she deserves? And can she trust Norton with her damaged heart when every man in her life has sought to control her destiny? From the misty highlands of Kandy to the bustling port of Colombo, Stella's journey becomes a defiant quest not only for love but for something far more elusive-the freedom to become the author of her own story. Readers who love The Tea Planter's Wife and Lucinda Riley will adore this atmospheric novel of forbidden love set in the twilight of the British Raj. Readers are loving The Star of Ceylon: "An absorbing and beautifully written novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page." Reader review, 5 stars "Oh, this book! I sincerely hope there will be a sequel… I loved it." Reader review, 5 stars "I want MORE, MORE, MORE! Sri Lanka is perfectly captured and I was transported to that era. Wonderful." Reader review, 5 stars "I was hooked from the beginning… heartfelt and immersive… perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and anyone looking for a romance set against the richly textured backdrop of colonial Sri Lanka." Reader review, 5 stars "I just love Clare Flynn's books. From the very first page you are drawn in and you know you are entranced… you never want them to end, and this book is no exception." 5 stars "A wonderfully evocative novel of old colonial Ceylon. Brilliantly written." Reader review, 5 stars "I felt like I was at once transported back in time." Reader review, 5 stars
