Beards: A high-angst sapphic romance about found family

by Serena J. Bishop

Four people. Two fake marriages. One epic love story.

Roni loves Gina.
Gina loves Roni.
Gina’s married to Early.
Roni marries Early’s secret boyfriend, Steven.

It’s the 1990s and Roni, Gina, Early, and Steven decide the most logical way their chosen family can live happily ever after is through a dual marriage arrangement. They buy a large home, live in harmony, and become the supportive family none of them ever had. It’s everything they could have dreamed…until life happened.

Relatives. Children. Careers. And, through the next two decades, a society that gradually starts to become more accepting of homosexuality.

How does a family based in secrecy stay together when the freedom to be who they really are is at their fingertips? Can they even stay together?

Beards is a high-angst dramedy about chosen family.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Queer

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2017

About the author

Serena J. Bishop tells stories with humor, heart, and heroines. She is a daydreamer who comes from a long line of storytellers. When she’s not writing fiction she enjoys being a nerd, surprising others with her pop culture knowledge, dining out, or finding a new craft beer or cocktail she loves. She currently resides in Maryland with her lovely wife and chihuahua. She's also an active member in the Sapphic Lit Pop-Up Bookstore.

You can follow her by signing up for her newsletter on her website or by finding her on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, or BlueSky @SerenaJBishop

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the start with the title and unique family dynamic and read through the night to the end. A cleverly written, believable, slow romance with angst, laughter, love and tasteful sex scenes. Fully fleshed out lead characters, Gina, Roni, Steven and Early are the glue that keeps the storyline going ably assisted by supporting characters including Becky, Gretchen, Devin and Stevie (tale's narrator). Taken on a bumpy emotional ride through the 1990's to 2014 and thank goodness a HEA ending, I could relate to the actions taken by many to "fit" in with those turbulent times. I look forward to more of Ms. Bishop's work and highly recommend with 5 stars.

[Bib · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decide on books by repeatedly reading on their synopsis, it is the same with Bishop’s Beards. I thought I knew what to expect, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Beards is an amalgam of funny dialogues, complex human relationships, good plot and a story well told. This book is beyond my expectations and I love to read more works by this author!

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

This is an interesting story, but I must admit, I struggled with the head-hopping and shifting timeline. At times, the story advanced a few weeks, at others a number of years, and it often backtracked, too.

Many readers will love all those thing, so please take my review with a grain of salt, and check this one out for yourself.

If you're still unsure, checkout the other wonderful reviews posted for this diverse story.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. The characters are entertaining yet authentic and the dialogue is delightful. Plus, it's a great love story! Who doesn't love a great love story?!

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unique story with an excellent mixture of humor and drama. I agree with the reviews I read on Amazon regarding the portrayal of society's view of homosexuality and how it must have affected this family during the course of 25 years.

[Mildred Gail Digby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experience the life of a family made up of unique individuals as they navigate through the 1990s where the price of coming out is losing your job or your family until the present. It’s an intriguing snapshot of a time when everything changed for sexual minorities.

There are some sweet moments, some laughs and a few tears, but overall is the heartwarming drama of everyday life in a not-so-everyday family.

This is a debut novel, so there are a few minor issues, but it’s evident Bishop’s already a powerhouse at writing deep emotions and realistic relationships.

The characters make the story come alive in all their flawed glory. This book really made me think about a lot of things and I was invested in the story.

I recommend reading the book club questions at the back! They’re wonderful and I’m so tempted to answer them.


My rating: 4.75 stars

I received this novel from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Kelly Kopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Bishop's breakout novel, she does an admirable job in developing complex, witty characters you can't help but become quickly invested in. I found myself rooting for these individuals and the unique family they formed. Bishop has crafted a story that displays the perfect balance of drama and romance while simultaneously providing an important social commentary on the difficulties of life as a homosexual in the 1990's.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story! Emotional and entertaining, it brings some of the most common relationship hiccups and debacles to life in an understandable and hilarious way. The characters have so much personality it's hard not to get invested in their lives. Great job Serena - can't wait for the next book!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that's going to stay with me a long time. I loved the family setup and the relationships they had with each other, seeing the family progress through the years and the way they all grew. The ending made me cry, I couldn't have asked for anything better.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beards is a fantastic read. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the format, everything. I would recommend this book to any lover of lesfic.

[Jennifer A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our book club read this for our latest get together. Honestly, I'm generally not a fan of this type of women's literature/romantic fiction. But that's the joy of belonging to a book club I suppose - you get introduced to books outside of your normal reading genre. I only rated it 4 stars because this is still not my favorite style of writing. That being said I've been known to start a book and if I don't like it by the end of the first chapter, I won't read the rest. I completed this book, and I liked it very much. I enjoyed the way the book was laid out, the characters she created (I couldn't help picking a side... Team Gina!), and the manner in which Ms. Bishop let the story unfold. As I mentioned this was a book club selection; our group (there were 12 present at this meeting) had quite a lively discussion. I highly recommend this for your book club. Helpfully, the author provides a list of discussion questions to get you started, but we barely got to any of them. The author is a young woman who is just starting out in the writing world and self published this book. I'm impressed with her first effort. I wish her well, and will be very interested to see what she comes up with next.

[Monna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.

[K2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun and engaging read!! The characters are well-developed-- believable, real people whom I cared about-- and they behaved in ways I could relate to. The dialogue is witty and fun, and the author's hints of snarkiness are a joy.

Bishop's use of character Stevie's narration to transport us back in time to relate the story is brilliant. Despite his not being there when his parents first got together, the author uses this storytelling device to take us back to the 90s to explain how it was that two lesbians and two gay men got married, had a son, and lived as one loving and supportive family unit. The formal practice of gay persons marrying someone of the opposite sex, "beards", is an old and well-known one -- a necessity in eras when social and legal environments wouldn't protect LGBTQ persons who openly loved a person of their own gender. Bishop deftly explains all of the logistics of the living arrangement without the reader getting too bogged down in details.

The inclusiveness, the sensitivity, the considerateness that Bishop has for her characters and supporting characters made me feel like I was part of the family-- a family I *wish* I'd grown up in. She shows us what a loving, emotionally healthy family would be like. Bishop's characters love, get hurt, grow emotionally, and still continue to love.

Without giving anything away, the ending is really a fun scenario -- the plot is satisfying. And in wonderful tradition of LGBTQ novels, the lesbian sex scenes are suitably steamy.

This is Serena Bishop's first book and it's a really good first novel. A+ for plot and character development. I think Bishop is a rising star in the romance novel genre!

[S2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who came out in the late 80s, I really appreciated the author's sensitivity to the socio-political climate that would necessitate gays and lesbians marrying for show. i.e., beards. That the story revolves around two couples who had to do this very thing to protect themselves is an interesting part of the plot and the logistics involved. Bishop educates the reader about how LGBT persons had to creatively navigate this system which is, fortunately, changing.

I loved the way the characters were developed-- so believable, and I really appreciated the witty writing and humor!

The sex scenes were portrayed in an honest and heartfelt way-- beautiful.

[Nicole C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine told me I should read this book and she was right; this is a must-read book. It makes you aware of the hardships people face just to be in love. Like there aren't enough struggles already? It makes you think a lot about what people go through and how you really never know what someone's life is like. Reading this book allows you to become a better person because it opens you up to a world that some of us are unfamiliar with. Definitely, recommend that this is a must read before the summer is over!

[K Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read on a lazy Saturday. This book portrays the emotional rollercoaster every person rides as they find love and begin to build a family. The characters are well developed and easy to identify with. Five stars!

[Nolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I was resentful of having to put it down and participate in the real world. Bishop handles the narrative of a span of 20 or so years well. The story is engaging, and the characters are well-developed.

[Deanna Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! The relationships between all the characters really touched me and how they all became a very special and happy family. This could be a play or a mini series. Can't wait for her next book!

[Heather Henkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I am just old enough to remember those times and understand what the couples went through. This was a very well written story and I loved it.

[LoveVickyHolt LoveVickyHolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for Generation X, in my humble opinion. Bishop's masterful recreation of the 90s and the Oughts through the very human lens of four gay and lesbian people was at once a trip down memory lane for this cishet white woman, but also a touching and beautiful rendering of the portraits of people loving, hurting, and growing during these decades when the LGBTQ+ community was struggling to be seen, heard, and accepted.

Bishop's writing is entertaining and sparkles with perfectly timed levity while still presenting painful situations with respect and compassion as the story unfolds. I lost myself in the story and suffered a book hangover for a good twelve hours after reading it; the characters became real to me, and I cared about them all.

This was a vital fictional depiction of two married couples filled with heartache, angst, humor, and compassion and a fair dose of consensual steam involving the lesbian couple. Presented as several vignettes per year, the reader follows Gina, a dedicated law enforcement officer, and her chosen family as they grow together, make mistakes, and repair wounds in an environment of insular support provided by their tiny community as the larger society around them persists in prejudice and discrimination.

I really can't stress enough what a truly beautiful story this is and how its potential to open hearts and minds could heal families, friendships, relationships and communities if people would read it with the intention of learning what it might be like to exist as a gay or lesbian person in a world that for countless ages has tried to erase them.

This is a well-written novel in its own right. It doesn't come across as preachy or snarky, hateful or prideful; these characters became real to me as I followed them through their tender yet mostly mundane lives. Bishop's humor and command of 90s pop culture were the delicious chocolate chips in the freshly baked cookie dough of this full-bodied family saga. In other words, this book was a real treat.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the book was interesting, and the author certainly put effort into the plotting and characterizations. There were editing problems throughout the book, especially in the latter half--some serious enough to stop me in my tracks while I tried to figure out, for example, why a male character was described as "she." There were also a couple of spots where I thought that the author was thinking of a more recent era than the one she was in (for example, a woman called the police from a park before cell phones were common--how did she do that?) I also think that setting the early part of the book in the 90s was a bit too recent for the situation she was describing. 80s would have worked better. Finally, this is one of those books where the protagonists are paragons of physical perfection--and still are, twenty years later! So, it's definitely a fantasy story in that regard . Still, it's obvious that a lot of thought went into this story, and it did keep me reading and involved.

[Ochay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Cheyenne Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. My favourite found family trope, plus history I could remember.

[Maliha · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a journey!

a messy and sad and funny and beautiful read, I am also very attached to the characters!

felt like i’ve raised stevie too when I read about him in a goatee all grown up 😭😭

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I reviewed this. What happened to my review? I said that it would have worked better is set further back in time, and... I'm not sure what else I had to say. It was an okay read.