Ragged Robin: A Wildflowers of Scotland Mystery

Wildflowers of Scotland #7

by Sherrie Hansen

When a deadly virus ravages the seafood population off the coast of Scotland, the townsfolk of Portree, Isle of Skye, are devastated. Charter boat captain Robin Murphy and café owner Becca Ronan stumble upon evidence that ties the contamination to a pharmaceutical company, thrusting them into a tangled net of mystery. Robin fears—Becca hopes—the Selkies, if they’re real, hold the key. Robin says his priority is finding a cure, but the seal folk he’s befriended on his getaway isle have stolen his heart. Becca's long-lost father and free-spirited mother may save the day…or bring down the ship. As Robin and Becca search for the truth and struggle to keep their businesses afloat, everything is at risk–their love, their beliefs–even their lives.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2021

About the author

Sherrie Hansen just retired from her life calling - operating a Victorian Bed & Breakfast and Tea House, The Blue Belle Inn. She enjoys writing novels, quilting, playing the piano, renovating old houses and traveling. Sherrie and her husband live in Northern Iowa.

Reviews

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adventure full of mystery, lore and love. The kind of book dreams are made of. Well written, great storyline.

[Henana Berjes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa! And here the book comes to an end..I am still coming to terms with the fact that this isn't exactly how the pandemic has unfolded. Hansen makes the selkie myth seem so real.
Did I say I didn't believe! In that case I must pinch myself real hard.
Well, well…well..
The story ties a pandemic to seals then to the Selkie folklore and from there on the Author keeps you hooked to two different but interconnected universes throughout the book.
Becca's logical thinking as the female protagonist as opposed to Robins and her mom's beliefs in the selkie myth make up for an interesting read.
I bookmarked certain passages some of which I will share here without giving away the storyline.
“It’s almost as though you can’t accept what happened with your conscious mind, so you enjoy it in a dream form.”
Or
“Ballads, stories, folklore fascinate us because they give us a chance to escape into an alternate universe."
There's one sentence that I must mention for it left a lasting imprint.
"You have to open your heart to a whole big world full of possibilities."
It's beautiful.
The book makes you fall in love with a world full of possibilities where even a selkie folklore intermingles with daily lives.
The ending is beautiful and philosophical.
Becca and Robin's romance is beautiful and subtle and the hilarious encounters between Becca and Emma had me in splits at many places.
I close this book with a happy heart and ponder about a line that the authors mentions in the last chapter, that,
'Celebrate the things that make us unique.'
And this my friends is the take-home message.
A lovely book for sure that I will like to go through once again.

[Trudie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting great things form this book, given who it is by, and I wasn’t disappointed. I was a little concerned that it would be a touch insensitive, seeing as it is about a pandemic, but I needn’t have worried. It comes across as sympathetic and understanding and highlights the problems many small businesses faced during covid lockdowns rather than making light of them. This book is a little worrying as it could so easily be true. The next pandemic may well be man-made so big pharmaceutical companies can make money on the cure and vaccines.

As always, the author has done a great job on the characters. The differing opinions of the two main protagonists works well and comes across as realistic while the opposing personalities of mother and daughter really make the book.

Overall this is an enjoyable read that you won’t want to put down

[Dorothy Garino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great relationship between Robin and Rebecca. A budding sweet romance with a mystery twist will get those pages turning.

I thought it was so fun to see other characters from previous books have a part in this story and it made the world more complete for me.

When Rebecca found an unexpected stranger in her home with her mother, I just about died with laughter. It was such a funny scenario and the author nailed it.

If you enjoy a bit of the supernatural, ghosts, myths and folklore, I would pick up more of this authors books. She weaves humor, realism and legend together to produce a very good story.

[Kat Drennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly Wonderful
Unexpectedly Wonderful
How Sherrie Hansen would manage to link the Selkie Myth with a pandemic was beyond me, but it worked! So much going on in this story and I loved every word. Hansen is a master story teller, and who doesn’t love a Selkie story? I wanted more.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet romance mixed in with a page turning mystery. A very enjoyable read. :)