"And Then It Rained_ - A Review - "In One Word: Superb!"

Sorry folks, I'm having trouble with my touch pad so couldn't copy and paste, but posted the link instead.

Thank you, HC, UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RB6UUQRD1RB9V/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01DCNN4ZE

Follow this link to purchase your own copy of "And Then It Rained": http://myBook.to/atr

"Adventures in India" - A Review - "Pure Brilliance"

Cheers Robert!

 .0 out of 5 starsPure Brilliance

ByKindle Customeron 21 October 2017

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Well researched, evocative story that takes the reader to another time and place through the skilled penmanship of the author. Clever plot and delightful characters...definitely an author to watch.

Robert Southworth author of the Spartacus Chronicles and Ripper Legacies.

Click here to purchase your own copy of "Charlie Smithers: Adventures in India."

"Interim - A Review - "A Riveting Read From Start to Finish!"

Thank you HC,UK!

5.0 out of 5 starsHistorical fiction at its finest ! A riveting read from start to finish !

ByHC,UKon 19 October 2017

Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase

This is the second book in the Josiah Stubb series and in my opinion is even better than the first. C W Lovatt writes with such attention to historical detail and with an empathy and affection for his characters that it is a joy to read. Full of excitement, and building up momentum as it goes along, I did not want to put the book down on many occasions. He cleverly weaved threads from the first novel into the second and at times I'd nod to myself smiling whilst thinking "Oh now that is a clever touch". The book gathers pace so quickly, especially towards the end, that the chapters themselves become shorter as if to build up the suspense and excitement as he tells the story from the minds of the different characters as the fighting and story unfolds (and in the first person too, which is a stroke of literary genius.) I love how we see Josiah's achievements , but how he still doubts himself. I do not want to go into too much detail as it will give the story away (especially for those that have read the first book and want to find out for themselves) but to say I'm looking forward to the third book is an understatement.. Bravo Mr Lovatt. and thank you.

Click here to purchase your own copy of "Josiah Stubb: Interim."

"The Adventures of Charlie Smithers - A Review - "A Brilliant and Sensitive Write"

Thank you very much, Mrs J. My debut nove, "The adventures of Charlie Smithers," continues to be one of my most best selling books....

 out of 5 starsA Brilliant and Sensitive write

ByMrs. Jon 8 October 2017

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started reading this book. I was quite impressed that an American author could so accurately write as if he were a ‘terribly English’ servant of an aristocrat, whose aim in life had always been to serve and protect his master. It reminded me of ‘Jeeves and Wooster’, for Charlie is obviously far more intelligent and resourceful than his master but still served him diligently. That is, until he finds himself in a situation in Africa that completely removes him from his master. Now, he discovers there is more to life than being a servant. He finds love and learns about the precarious life of the Maasi and other African tribes.

Although essentially a story about discovery of other cultures and the joy of love, the author skilfully displays the horrors of the slave trade. This is a story that will make you giggle but will also pull your heart strings and make you ache for all those unknown people who suffered so much.

A brilliantly written and sensitive write from an author who has researched thoroughly but can also touch the heart with his portrayal of a man who has never known such a woman existed and couldn’t help but become devoted to her.

 

 

Click here to purchase your own copy of my debut novel,"The Adventures of Charlie Smithers."

An Editorial Review for "Downunder," by Diana Milne of The Review...

I'm so pleased that I'm even going to include the introduction that Diana wrote on her facebook page:

"A review of one of the most exciting books I have read this millennium, written by that master story teller, CW Lovatt.
Even the font used for the words CHARLIE SMITHERS is contemporaneous with the narrative. A clever and unusual touch!"

I couldn't agree with her more about the font, by the way; as well as being a talented writer in her own right, Poppet is an amazing cover designer.

Click here for the link, or just read on...

  Charlie Smithers, or should I say C W Lovatt? has done it again, bringing us the best adventure yet in the series about this remarkable and lovable character. Following a raid by pirates and a serious wound from the ever helpful, but sadly unskilled marksman, Lord Brampton, Smithers finds himself washed up and stranded in a place that he later knows to be Australia. The story follows his rescue and travels with a foul mouthed and enigmatic woman, who he comes to respect and love, and is held together by a tune that haunts him throughout the narrative.

Written in a friendly first person, the book grabs hold of its readers and lures them from page to page, tugging at the edges of the consciousness whilst one is not reading, urging one to go back. Lovatt’s skilled narrative and exceptional story telling ensure that no reader gets away without this book becoming a part of themselves. It is, to me, a mark of true genius, when a character becomes so important that the reader becomes slightly infatuated with them, and this is true of Charlie. I cared, and cared deeply, what happened to him.

The amount of research that the author has accomplished to ensure every facet of this story is accurate is phenomenal, ranging from the flora and fauna of the Antipodes, through Waler horses, to folk history, Aboriginal people and traditions and that most elusive of Australian native phenomenon, ‘Dream Time’.

Smithers is his usual very British, stiff upper lip self, where fair play rules, right is right and wrong is everything else. His sense of indignity when confronted by someone who did not play by the unwritten British rule book, is so funny, and yet not too out of the ordinary for a certain type of Englishman – (think Jacob Rees-Mogg or Boris Johnson!) :

“Well, something had to be done, and no error. This was really too bad, but there was nothing else for it. My defiant glare transformed into an indignant frown. 

Gasping, I managed to wheeze, “Hold on,” spluttering out a mouthful of the ocean, “this ain’t cricket!” 

When this failed to stop him, or indeed, slow him down one iota, my indignation became quite severe, let me tell you, and I declared, “You, sir, are not a gentleman!” 

No doubt your surprise is as great as mine, upon finding that this also produced no effect, and I could see that things were looking pretty grim. 

“But dammit, you’re British!” I cried. 

Then, with a final gasp, I took what little air that I could swallow into my poor starving lungs, and sank beneath the waves. I could hear his enraged fists pummelling the spot ...” 

In this adventure, Smithers, whether as a result of a greater maturity or as a result of a severe bang on the head, begins to experience the gift of ‘sight’, inherited from his mother, which has been touched on in previous works, but never thoroughly examined. In this place, where real time and dream time go hand in hand, he finds a perfect avenue to get to know this other side of his psyche and a lot of the book is about the metaphysical, within the context of Charlie’s own exploration and experience of the theme. This is a brave undertaking for any author and CW Lovatt accomplishes this with exceptional understanding and tact and manages to explain paranormal events in a way that the lay person can understand and which would also be recognisable to a practitioner.

Dream Time is an anomaly in the space time continuum that is experienced by Aboriginal people and it is a subject that I have tried to understand in greater depth since the 1970s. Although this quote comes from the previous book in the series, it more than sums up Charlie’s tentative grasping at the subject: "There was more to our existence than met the eye. Whether it was through some sort of deity, or something else, there was a force at work beyond our capabilities of reckoning, and it defied reason."

This book stretches Charlie as a character and stretches the CW Lovatt as an author, to new levels of greatness and storytelling, weaving a magic spell around Smithers and Mattie as they dance to their music of time, that maybe, just maybe, only they can hear. Charlie probably will never get better from the loss of his wife Loiyan, but he has become better at it and is now able to confidently move on and face his life in all its dimensions. 

With his exceptional use of words, Lovatt paints pictures of the mysterious and beautiful land that is Australia, getting under the skin of the country to its very soul and carrying the reader along in his wake.

And in an after word, the author posits a possible explanation for the lilting music that Charlie hears throughout the adventure tying the story together very cleverly, combining fact, folklore and fiction, a skill at which Lovatt excels.

And did Charlie learn to forgive? Read the book and find out! You won’t be disappointed.

Click here to purchase your own copy of "Charlie Smithers: Adventures Downunder."

"Adventures in India" - A Review - "Superb..."

Thank you HC,UK!

0 out of 5 starsSuperb second book in the Charlie Smithers' series !

ByHC,UKon 19 August 2017

Format: Paperback

What a brilliant second book in the Charlie Smithers series this is! Full of humour, charm, heroism, determination, courage, danger, cruelty, sadness, historical detail and shenanigans galore, this book was a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. At times this story was incredibly moving, and at others I found myself laughing out loud. I loved reading about the 'special tea' made by the beautiful Madam Pirali and the effects it had on the normally bombastic Lord Brampton! Absolutely hilarious ! Charlie Smithers is such a lovable and believable fellow. He is honourable and has a sense of fair play and common decency and he will always speak his mind, even if it gets him into trouble. The characters Mr Lovatt describes are all so easy to picture and his descriptions are so detailed I feel I'm actually watching a movie, it is so vivid in my mind. Thank you for this wonderfully written tale. I'm now reading about the wonderful Charlie Smithers' adventures in Oz......Please let there one day be a book Four Mr Lovatt.

Click here to purchase your own copy of "Charlie Smithers: Adventures in India."

Josiah Stubb

The Siege of Louisbourg: "... To me, that is the difference between a really good book you re-read when you’re in the mood and a fantastic book that impacts your life, forever.
Josiah Stubb is a fantastic book." ~ Katie Kofemug
http://mybook.to/josiahstubbl

Interim: "I consider this to be C W Lovatt’s finest full length work yet..." ~ d.arcadian
myBook.to/josiahstubb2