Marie Marquardt is an author of young-adult novels, including Dream Things True and The Radius of Us. Her books have earned many awards and commendations, including BookExpo America’s Buzz Books, Books All Young Georgians Should Read, and the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs’ Américas Commendation. Her coauthored novel with Mayra Cuevas Does My Body Offend You? was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Marie also has published articles and coauthored two nonfiction books about Latin American immigration to the US South and has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and BBC America, among many other media outlets. How to Fake a Southern Gentleman (also coauthored with Mayra Cuevas) is her first novel for adults.
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Marie Marquardt
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How to Fake a Southern Gentleman: A Novel
Proud single mom Holly Simmons and ambitious journalist Luisa Martín Moreno have nothing in common—until Atlanta’s most powerful man, Griggs Caldecott Johnson III, turns both their lives upside down. Griggs is threatening Holly’s job as the events manager at the hoity-toity Dogwood Hills Country Club, while Luisa gets fired for trying to expose his scheme to defraud an immigrant family and snatch up their land for a luxury development.
Determined to fight back, the women team up to infiltrate Griggs’s inner circle. Their secret weapon? Elijah Denvil Sweet, a sexy hustler with a knack for reinvention. With a makeover, etiquette lessons, and a little help from Professor Pridmore—a charming, handsome, and single linguistics professor—Eli transforms into “Tripp,” the kind of Southern gentleman Griggs might just trust.
But as the plan takes shape, so do tender and unexpected feelings neither woman saw coming—with the very men helping them get justice.
With sparkling wit, strong female friendship, and slow-burn romance, "How to Fake a Southern Gentleman" is perfect for anyone who’s ever felt underestimated—and longs for a love that plays by its own rules.
