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If God Wills It: The fifth adventure in the Jobert series
1801. The battlefield victory at Marengo confirms Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to the First Consul of France. With peace forced upon Austria, Bonaparte now prepares to defeat France’s ancient enemy, Britain.
Eight years of endless combat has depleted France of horses. Lieutenant Colonel André Jobert is sent to negotiate with the Ottoman Turks for their internationally prized warhorses. In a high-stakes contest on the Black Sea steppes, Jobert is trapped in a foreign land in the midst of four brutal and implacable enemies.
If God Wills It is Jobert’s fifth adventure as the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars rage across Europe. How will Jobert and his battle-hardened comrades travel so far with so much gold and return with so many horses?
Eight years of endless combat has depleted France of horses. Lieutenant Colonel André Jobert is sent to negotiate with the Ottoman Turks for their internationally prized warhorses. In a high-stakes contest on the Black Sea steppes, Jobert is trapped in a foreign land in the midst of four brutal and implacable enemies.
If God Wills It is Jobert’s fifth adventure as the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars rage across Europe. How will Jobert and his battle-hardened comrades travel so far with so much gold and return with so many horses?
356 pages, Paperback
Published March 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2025
I recently discovered Robert McLaren’s wonderful ‘Jobert’ series about Napoleonic Soldier-Horsemen (Chasseurs) a chapter of history that is little understood and broadly neglected in the Napoleonic war history.
Featuring the heroic Andre Jobert, a Captain in the French cavalry during the Napoleonic wars, Jobert journeys through Europe with his band of misfit soldiers, from the hard-bitten professional soldier Koschak, and Jobert’s loyal groom Duque as they adventure, bleed, grieve and survive in the horror landscape of warfare where the horse still ruled and soldiers still fought face to face and sword to sword.
The aching sorrow of lovers lost and the brotherhood of men in battle support a backdrop of deep emotional pageantry. Historically accurate, right down to food and wines of the region, the use of equestrian equipment in the war tactics of the time. For those who are interested in war history and exquisite horsemanship in the context of accurate historical documentation… this is the series you cannot miss.
I was so impressed with McLaren’s first book ‘Brothers of the Capucine’ that I researched the life of Napoleon and the broader context of the Napoleonic wars to provide historical context so that I could fully appreciate and understand the macro picture in which Jobert and his Chasseurs find themselves.
McLaren, himself a combat soldier, an accomplished horsemen and meticulous historian is filling a significant gap in the history of the Napoleonic wars which will not only stand up as an accurate historical record in the life of Napoleonic Horse Soldiers but an epic war adventure with broad appeal. I look forward great anticipation to the remainder of McLaren’s work and thank him for introducing me to a rare glimpse into the life of pre-mechanised soldiering.
In this McLaren fifth instalment of his Napoleonic war saga, Jobert is commissioned with the task of supplying Bonaparte’s cavalry with horses to continue the war effort. Jobert and his loyal company venture into the Ottoman Empire with the impossible task of purchasing and transporting large numbers of horses.
Here we find a whole series of new characters and adventures that departs from the larger war picture in Europe, deepening the characterisation of Jobert and his comrades in war.
As with all of McLaren’s work this exciting chapter of the series is historically accurate and fills an important gap in the historical context and role of the French horse soldier.
Joseph
Featuring the heroic Andre Jobert, a Captain in the French cavalry during the Napoleonic wars, Jobert journeys through Europe with his band of misfit soldiers, from the hard-bitten professional soldier Koschak, and Jobert’s loyal groom Duque as they adventure, bleed, grieve and survive in the horror landscape of warfare where the horse still ruled and soldiers still fought face to face and sword to sword.
The aching sorrow of lovers lost and the brotherhood of men in battle support a backdrop of deep emotional pageantry. Historically accurate, right down to food and wines of the region, the use of equestrian equipment in the war tactics of the time. For those who are interested in war history and exquisite horsemanship in the context of accurate historical documentation… this is the series you cannot miss.
I was so impressed with McLaren’s first book ‘Brothers of the Capucine’ that I researched the life of Napoleon and the broader context of the Napoleonic wars to provide historical context so that I could fully appreciate and understand the macro picture in which Jobert and his Chasseurs find themselves.
McLaren, himself a combat soldier, an accomplished horsemen and meticulous historian is filling a significant gap in the history of the Napoleonic wars which will not only stand up as an accurate historical record in the life of Napoleonic Horse Soldiers but an epic war adventure with broad appeal. I look forward great anticipation to the remainder of McLaren’s work and thank him for introducing me to a rare glimpse into the life of pre-mechanised soldiering.
In this McLaren fifth instalment of his Napoleonic war saga, Jobert is commissioned with the task of supplying Bonaparte’s cavalry with horses to continue the war effort. Jobert and his loyal company venture into the Ottoman Empire with the impossible task of purchasing and transporting large numbers of horses.
Here we find a whole series of new characters and adventures that departs from the larger war picture in Europe, deepening the characterisation of Jobert and his comrades in war.
As with all of McLaren’s work this exciting chapter of the series is historically accurate and fills an important gap in the historical context and role of the French horse soldier.
Joseph
December 28, 2025
This was an interesting one what with the majority of the action taking place on the periphery of the Napoleonic Wars.
Hurry up Rob and get the next Jobert adventure finished!
Hurry up Rob and get the next Jobert adventure finished!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews