September 2025
Hero the Highway Girl is the kind of book that wraps around you, drawing you deep into the story and its unforgettable characters. From the very first page, I was completely captivated, each exciting chapter carrying me further into Hero and Jack’s adventure. Set in the Georgian world of highwaymen, the lineage of upper class families and girls with little power over their own destiny, Hero the Highway Girl is overflowing with determination and courage.
Hero Devine is a character to remember. Bold and strong, she knows what she wants – freedom from her overpowering grandmother who is determined to see her bethrothed to a young man from a respectable family, ensuring the Devine family name lives on. Terrified of going down the same path as her mother who was deemed “mad” for wanting to live her own life, Hero decides to take control. One dark night, she stages her own kidnapping by a young highwayman and disappears into the night with her magnificent wolf, Flow.
Gentleman Jack, the young highwayman unexpectedly faced with Hero and her reckless plan, only steals to survive. He’s terrified of ending up like so many other highwayman – arrested, imprisoned and hanged. Jack was a foundling, left on the steps of St Giles Church many years ago. He’s never known love, friendship or a home. Only his wild horse, Diablo, shows him any kind of affection.
It turns out Hero wants to become a highwayman. She’s dreamed of the tricorn hat, robbing carriages by moonlight and shouting “Stand and deliver! Your money or your life!” But she has a lot to learn. Sheltered from the reality of poverty and the danger of the streets, she has little concept of history, how to lay low or the harshness of the law. Her character development is so engaging as she discovers humility and how to care for another person.
The animal-human relationships in this story are so powerful. The wildness of the gorgeous wolf and stallion are tempered by love, respect and understanding. Using their intuition to protect their humans, Flow and Diablo become essential to the story and key characters in their own right. As they navigate the misty darkness of Black Heath, pursued by Ghost Wolves and the spirits of highwaymen who have come before, their loyalty empowers their owners to find new levels of strength.
Hero the Highway Girl examines what it truly means to be brave. Jack and Hero begin the story with their own ideas about confidence, freedom and standing up to others. As the story progresses, they realise there is bravery within fear and it’s ok to show vulnerability in friendship. Saddened by the hand life has dealt them, they begin to understand their actual worth and find real hope for the future.
There is a magic to this story. Hero’s fledgling feminism and Jack’s inner struggle about his place in the world weave together into a compelling tale where they must find a way to rescue each other.
Thank you so much to Firefly for an early copy of this wonderful book!
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