The Reconstruction era has begun. The country is moving forward. And so is the Bennett Family.
With half of their family aboard the long overdue California II, including Jonathan who promised his wife to return home in time for the birth of their child, tension mounts. The family eagerly awaits news of the ship’s arrival, but when they finally receive the telegram, the news is bittersweet. The ship has returned to port, but Jonathan must now race against time to make it home for the momentous event.
Meanwhile, Samantha’s brother, Adam, embarks on a mission to find his lost son, born amidst the chaos of the Civil War during his time on the battlefield. A twist of fate leads him to rescue someone unexpected, throwing his life in a new direction filled with hope and purpose, yet destiny has unforeseen designs.
A secret in the Bennett family surfaces. Lives hang in the balance and it is up to Jeremy to use his investigative skills to restore stability and hope. But his path to resolution brims with challenges, demanding patience, sacrifice, and compromise.
Will courage and determination be enough for the family to move forward?
Moving Forward is the eighth book in the captivating Intrepid Journey series. Author Lilly Robbins Brock masterfully weaves historical fact with gripping fiction, capturing the essence of 19th Century America.
Dive into Intrepid Journey: Moving Forward and take a step back in time with the Bennett Family.
It is the year 1866. The Civil War is over, but the healing process lingers long after the cannons are silenced.
After losing a member of the family to the War, the Bennetts struggle to forge ahead with their lives. Can they relinquish the past in order to move forward?
It was Jonathan who found his sister-in-law’s brother and brought him to her doorstep. Now, Jonathan keeps his promise to his wife and goes to Virginia to search for her missing brother. But the South is still a dangerous place–especially for a Yankee. He wears a pistol on his hip. Will he be forced to use it? Is his wife’s brother still alive? Will Jonathan unite another sister and brother?
Always the man with a plan, Philip proposes the idea of a business venture in Honolulu to the De Leons. To finalize the deal, they must travel to the Hawaiian Islands. He decides to invite several members of the family, including his wife, to come along on the long journey. But will his generous act put their lives at risk?
The Bennetts are ever active in their pursuits and goals, but not all goes as planned–storm clouds are gathering.
Storm Clouds Gathering is the seventh book in the Intrepid Journey historical fiction series. If you enjoy seeing the past come alive with adventure, twists and turns, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s compelling tales.
Buy Intrepid Journey: Storm Clouds Gathering today and step back in time with the Bennetts.
The German commander looked down the barrel of his BAR.
How does a soldier experience the inhumanity of war and survive to live in peace when he returns? What comes after as he strives to make a new life for himself and his family?
This is a story about one of those young warriors, Marion Robert Shipe, who traded a fishing pole for a Browning Automatic Rifle. Lilly Robbins Brock brings to center stage the persona of the soldier who served his country with valor and contributed to the Greatest Generation achieving its rightful place in history. She tells this veteran’s story against a well-researched backdrop of the times, seamlessly blending the Big Picture with the ground-level saga of one soldier.
From the battle of the Ruhr Pocket to joining Patton’s Third Army as it pushed southward to destroy the National Redoubt, the final Nazi stronghold, Robert Shipe takes us into that place of life and death called war.
As in her previous WWII memoir/biographies, the author brings historical facts with the special insights of one who was there. The result is a genuinely compelling story sure to interest history buffs.
Sometimes the brightest lights come from ordinary men.
A Perilous Escape. An Uncertain Outcome. A Test of Courage.
A French warship attacks the Mexico city, Mazatlán, and holds it hostage, thwarting Alberto De Leon’s plans to return to his family in California. No one can get in or out. Trapped, he’ll stop at nothing to win his freedom. But when he attempts a daring escape, it goes terribly wrong. He’s now a man on the run with a bounty on his head.
Jane Bennett’s nephews–Union officers–are captured and endure deplorable conditions in a Confederate prison. Finally, the Civil War ends and all prisoners of war are released. When the two brothers and hundreds of other soldiers board a ship to go home, they have no idea what fate has in store for them. Many will never see home again.
Dark clouds and uncertainty descend upon the Bennett clan as the chaos of two wars threatens the lives of those they hold dear. Will the family be strong enough to face what lies ahead?
Crosswinds is the sixth book of the sweeping Intrepid Journey historical fiction series. If you enjoy seeing the past come alive, compelling characters, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s engaging tale.
Buy Intrepid Journey: Crosswinds today and continue the journey with the Bennett family.
Forbidden Love, Endless War, A Dangerous Mission
An unlikely match. He’s from the North, she’s from the South. May 1862. With his arm in a sling and still in uniform, Jonathan Bennett returns home from the raging Civil War. During the voyage, he unexpectedly falls for a beautiful feisty southern belle who considers him the enemy. Alone and bitter about losing her home in Virginia at the hands of Union soldiers, Samantha Chastain has no use for this Yankee. But by journey’s end, she can’t deny her attraction to the handsome lieutenant. Can she put her past aside and follow her heart? Is she destined to become his bride?
The war took the parents, but spared the child.
The family is ecstatic when Jonathan comes home for good. But as the war between the states continues to cast its dark shadow, their world is turned upside down. Two family members in war-torn Kentucky are killed, leaving their small child an orphan and homeless. With no time to lose, the Bennett brothers plan a risky rescue mission. But will the chaos of the conflict block their efforts? Or, worse, will the war claim them as victims too?
Caught in the terror of the War of Secession, will the two destitute victims find refuge with the Bennetts?
Changing Tides is the 5th book of the gripping Intrepid Journey Bennett Family Saga series. If you like history combined with riveting action and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s compelling story.
Buy Intrepid Journey: Changing Tides and take a step back in time with the Bennett family.
Their honor compels them to stand by their families. But can the ties of blood outlast the terrors of the Civil War?
New Orleans, March 1860. Jeremy Bennett is determined to help his wife locate her enslaved brother who escaped. But with unrest in the East and rumors of secession on Southerners’ lips, they’re forced to return home to San Francisco and safety. And though he hires a man to continue the search in their absence, Jeremy fears the coming conflict will make finding her lost kin impossible.
Washington Territory, April 1861. Jonathan Bennett can’t ignore his conscience. Firmly believing in the necessity of unification and the repugnance of slavery, he joins the Union Navy over his mother and father’s objections. But when his first assignment proves too boring for him, he requests a transfer… and comes face to face with death in the form of the Confederate ironclad, Merrimac.
With the chaos of war blocking his efforts to track down the missing runaway, Jeremy struggles to console his parents over his twin’s rash decisions. But as Jonathan convalesces at Fort Monroe, he may be about to make a discovery that will change the family forever.
Caught up in the terror of the Great Rebellion, will the brothers be separated by the grave or reunited by hope?
Intrepid Journey: Twists of Fate is the fourth book in the sweeping Intrepid Journey Bennett Family Saga historical fiction series. If you like thrilling adventures, seeing the past come alive, and shocking turns, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s immersive story.
Dark secrets. Unforeseen entanglements. Lives hanging in the balance.
Washington Territory, 1858. Jeremy Bennett disappointed everyone when he refused his father’s invitation to join the family business. Deeply affected by the horror of his sisters’ kidnappings, he vows to help other victims, as a San Francisco private investigator. But when he and his partner take on a sinister slave trade, Jeremy makes mortal enemies of vicious men.
Robert Bennett thought fortune had finally shined on him. After unexpectedly reuniting with the love of his life while visiting his native England, he marries her and returns to America with hope for the future. But upon arrival, he discovers another woman is pregnant with his child.
Determined to best the callous human-traffickers, Jeremy must risk everything to bring an end to the brutal practice. And though Robert works hard to care for his unanticipated son, the boy’s mother expected they would wed. Now, both may find their choices could cost them the women they can’t live without.
Can the Bennetts fulfill their responsibilities and avoid paying a terrible price?
Intrepid Journey: A New Dawn is the third book in the riveting Intrepid Journey Bennett Family Saga historical series. If you like driven heroes, powerful dramas, and fiction blended with real-life events, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s compelling tale.
A wayward journey. A war-torn frontier. Can she protect her family through tragedy to claim their paradise?
New York, 1855. Jane Bennett misses her husband terribly. But as war encroaches on land and cholera wreaks havoc on the next ship out of port, she fears that she may never see Thomas again. Caught between two evils, Jane fears the decision she makes could seal her family’s fate.
With her husband forced to protect their future home against raids, Jane must lead her children on a grueling voyage to lawless San Francisco. As their money runs low and the dangers of roving kidnappers grow with each passing day, the stranded mother has no choice but to find deep inner strength to keep the ones she loves alive.
In a land ravaged by conflict, can Jane and her family find the path to a loving future?
Perils in Paradise is the second book in the gripping Intrepid Journey historical fiction series. If you like strong characters, family struggles, and frontier romance, then you’ll love Lilly Robbins Brock’s tale of courage.
An untamed frontier. A family’s new start. To survive, they’ll need luck and they’ll need each other.
New York City, New York, 1835. Thomas Bennett never planned on living in the shadow of his in-laws. But when a devastating fire wipes out New York City and forces him and his wife, Jane, to leave, he’s willing to do anything to gain his independence. Years later when an opportunity opens up to travel to the dangerous but promising frontier of the Pacific Northwest, Thomas and his reluctant wife prepare for the journey.
Thomas and his brothers pave the way by booking passage on a steamship by way of South America, and Jane and the children are scheduled to follow twelve months later on the shorter Nicaragua route. But nothing could prepare them for such a long separation and the life-changing adventure. Then the outbreak of two wars threatens the timid Bennett family and prolongs their separation. They must rely on each other for the courage to carry on. But will their bond be enough to outlast the worst-case scenario of a dangerous journey and a lawless, unforgiving land?
Intrepid Journey: An Untamed Frontier is the first book of the Intrepid Journey series. If you like complex characters, lesser-known historical journeys, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love this action-packed journey west. It’s an exhilarating historical fiction novel.
Love, Marriage, Separation
A young couple’s marriage is interrupted by war. Their idyllic life is about to change. Will their love survive?
After Priscilla and Dean celebrated their first wedding anniversary in October 1941, the unimaginable happens. Pearl Harbor is attacked on December 7th. They know it’s only a matter of time before Dean is called to serve.
Victory on The Home Front is an insightful and heart-warming Memoir/Biography that shines a light on the women who contributed to the war effort during World War II.
If you like history and true-life stories, read Victory on The Home Front.
How does a soldier live with the inhumanity of war and survive to live in peace afterward? What came before in the lives of our defenders that allowed them to stand so strongly? Perhaps most importantly, what comes after as they strive to make new lives for themselves and their families?
Men like Philip Bishop may have the best answers. In Ever A Soldier, Lilly Robbins Brock chronicles Bishop’s life from his game-poaching youth to his decorated military career and beyond—to his impending hundredth birthday.
In her compassionate retelling of Bishop’s life and his twenty-year military career in unflinching yet human terms, Brock brings to center stage the persona of the soldier who helped the Greatest Generation achieve its rightful place in history.
Sometimes, the brightest of lights come from ordinary men.
Hans has a beautiful wife and child and a successful business living in an almost idyllic life in pre-WWII Germany. He thinks he has total control of his life and nothing can change that. Hans soon finds, with the onset of war, his world spins out of his control. He’s called to active military service in the infantry and becomes the sniper for company C. He soon learns his life is in danger from both friend and foe. In his absence, his family and business fall into peril.
As the war progresses, Hans begins to question the actions of the government. When he’s forced to witness the slaughter of men, women and children at the Plunda Work Camp, he realizes the country is run by monsters. In a surprise ending, Hans finds himself called upon to answer for the part he was forced to play in these atrocities.
Every veteran has a story. This is the life account of a World War II PT sailor whose love for the motor torpedo boat has lasted over seventy years. When the eighteen-year-old Oklahoman stepped onto the deck of the PT boat for the first time in 1944, his life was forever entwined with the PT boat.
This is also the story of the rescue of PT-658 when a group of silver-haired Navy veterans set out to find and restore a surviving motor torpedo boat. When they found PT-658, she was half sunk and rotting in an estuary of San Francisco Bay. Through the efforts of this PT sailor and other veteran sailors and volunteers, the grand lady is back. PT-658 is the only fully operational World War II PT boat remaining in the world.
What better way is there to show those you care about than presenting them with a gift made personally by you? The answer is the gift of food prepared with love and affection. Food Gifts Recipes From Nature’s Bounty is sure to become your go-to book, and you’ll not only be prepared for the expected occasions, but the unexpected occasions as well.
The garden, orchard and berry patches are bountiful resources for your edible food gifts. The recipes in this book have been selected with these resources in mind. You’ll find an array of easy and delicious food gift ideas including enticing baked items and small indulgences, jams, jellies, chutneys, condiments, infused sugars and salts, spirits and much more. With this book as your guide, you will be able to make edible gift creations to share with people you care about as well as tips on how to package and present them. Then, be ready to watch them smile.