Dangerous Lovers: A Memoir

A 60s/70s memoir that will stay with you forever.

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s was tough at times, especially as a woman.

In her moving, heartbreaking, entertaining and unforgettable memoir, J. M. Shorney shares stories and events from her life as she tried to gain her independence and overcome the challenges she faced.

Working as a female butcher in an all-male environment came with its own problems at a time when women were classed as second-class citizens and sex objects. But this didn’t stop J. M. Shorney from succeeding, and neither did the constant sexual abuse from her balding, sad, 50-something-year-old boss.

When the author became pregnant at 19, she was single, and although the baby’s father (and domineering grandfather) tried to pressure her into marrying, she declined. She had the loving support of her parents and knew she would work even harder to provide for her baby. Even when a local, childless, wealthy woman offered her £1,000 to hand over her baby, she refused. Sadly, the woman and the author’s boss (who believed women with children should stay at home) made all kinds of threats when the baby’s birth drew close.

But that was not all. You see, good-looking men drew her like magnets. One, a young Hungarian boy, left a huge mark on her life. She couldn’t see past his looks, and despite him being violent and jealous, spending time in Borstal and later becoming a hardened criminal, he was like a drug to the author.

There are so many stories to tell, too … from almost running away with a young man the night before his wedding to coming-of-age sexual adventures in Brighton (at Devil’s Dyke) and, of course, the night she met her beloved Mike, whom she later married.

Grab a copy of Dangerous Lovers today and take a walk down memory lane, back to the Swinging Sixties and Seventies, a time when British life and culture were so much different.