How to Fake a Southern Gentleman, Mayra Cuevas
How to Fake a Southern Gentleman, Mayra Cuevas
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How to Fake a Southern Gentleman

Author: Mayra Cuevas, Marie Marquardt

Narrator: Suehyla El-Attar Young, Alejandra Reynoso

Unabridged: 12 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/07/2026


Synopsis

This bighearted rom-com debut reimagines My Fair Lady, as two women team up to make over a sexy hustler and take down one of Atlanta’s most corrupt men. Along the way, their story sizzles with unexpected friendship and swoony love.

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.

About Mayra Cuevas

Mayra Cuevas is the award-winning author of picture books and novels for readers of all ages. Her young adult novel Does My Body Offend You? (cowritten with Marie Marquardt) was long-listed for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Mayra is a former award-winning CNN producer, and currently, a creative writing professor. She cofounded the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival and its Latinx Storytellers Conference. Mayra keeps her sanity by practicing modern Buddhism and meditation. She splits her time between Atlanta and Puerto Rico. You can find Mayra on Instagram @Mayra.Cuevas and her website MayraCuevas.com. 

About Marie Marquardt

Marie Marquardt is the award-winning author of four YA novels, including The Radius of Us and Does My Body Offend You? (with Mayra Cuevas). Marie has also published two nonfiction books and several articles about Latin American immigration. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her spouse and four kids. You can connect with her on Substack @MarieMarquardt and through her website MarieMarquardt.com. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Gabriela on April 06, 2026

I remember watching My Fair Lady several times as a child with my mom and grandmother and it holds a somewhat nostalgic place in my heart. This is a modern take on the iconic musical, but make it Southern and give a guy the makeover this time. Journalist Luisa and single mom Holly recruit hustler Eli......more

Goodreads review by SJARR ✨ on March 11, 2026

I do think there are people that would find this story to be enjoyable. It just didn't turn out to be my personal cup of tea. Luisa and Holly have both been wronged by the same man. Griggs Johnson is a corrupt high-society aristocrat, who has been doing shady business and stepping on the people that......more

Goodreads review by Bbecca_marie on April 08, 2026

How to Fake a Southern Gentleman👒 Book Review ✨ thank you so much partner @primerosuenopress for the gifted copy! How to Fake a Southern Gentleman by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt out now! Holly Simmons, a single mom trying to keep her job, and Luisa Martín Moreno, an ambitious journalist, couldn’t......more

Goodreads review by Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] on April 07, 2026

Holly is a single mom; once from a prominent Mississippi family, Holly has paved her own way since finding out she was pregnant at a young age. An events coordinator for an elite country club in Georgia, Holly is used to rubbing elbows with the upper echelon, but when one board member tries to get a......more

Goodreads review by Megan on April 07, 2026

We follow journalist Luisa and single mom Holly in this gender-swapped My Fair Lady. When Griggs Caldecott III threatens to take an immigrant family's home and the ladies' jobs, the two set out to stop him and seek revenge simultaneously. This one is so funny, effortlessly swapping between two chara......more