The Redemption of Don Juan Casanova

by Lloyd Lofthouse

Don Juan Casanova was raised by his grandparents to follow in the family tradition by becoming a Lothario, and as he approaches 40, he has successfully seduced hundreds of women. But now, this former U.S. Marine and combat veteran, who is the flirtatious maître d’ of his family’s infamous beachside nightclub in Southern California, is facing a crises. His grandfather and then younger brother, also infamous Lotharios, are viciously murdered, and Don is the prime suspect. He also wants to stop his serial seductions and find real love with one woman who understands him, but he is discovering it isn’t easy to kick an old habit that may be part of his DNA. There are so many women to love, and he’s confused.

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2015

About the author

Lloyd joined the United States Marines and served in Vietnam in 1966 as a field radio operator. Soon after graduating with a BA in journalism from Fresno State University, California, Lloyd started teaching English, literature, reading and journalism in the public schools from 1975 to 2005. Along the way, he enjoyed working as a maitre d' in a multi-million dollar nightclub and taught himself to count cards where he made some money in Las Vegas. If Lloyd stuck to what he learned about counting cards, he always left Vegas with more money than he arrived with.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you believe that the name you are given at birth has a lot to do with how you live your life? If you do, what would a child named Don Juan Casanova grow up to be like? How would being blessed (or cursed) with such a name affect his life? Look at what these names mean. Don Juan – a man who has sexual relationships with many women. Casanova – a lover, especially a man who is a promiscuous and unscrupulous lover.

Don Juan was raised by his grandparents, and they taught him to be a Lothario, a man whose chief interest is seducing women. Then he had to go to Vietnam and fight. When he returned, memories of what he had gone through during the war made it easy for him to turn back to seducing women. Booze helped him escape even more from these horrible memories.

During the day, he is an English teacher. Each night, he is the maître d’ at his family’s nightclub, The Aphrodisiac Academe.

Now he is close to forty years old. After having seduced hundreds of women, Don Juan has one desire: he wants to change his ways. He wants to get serious with one woman and be faithful to her. But how easy is it for a Lothario to change the way he lives?

Now throw some pretty grisly murders into the mix. His grandfather and his younger brother, also Lotharios, have been brutally murdered. Guess who the police suspect of killing them? Then there are the bodies of the dead that Don Juan discovers and hides. Don Juan thinks the killer might come after him next.

So Don Juan is dodging a killer while finding the killer’s victims and hiding them. He is doing all he can to stay out of the clutches of the police who think he is the killer. And while all this is going on, he is trying to find the perfect woman to remain faithful to and spend the rest of his life with. Family secrets, drug deals, and undercover agents only serve to complicate things even more and make the already difficult task of redeeming his life even harder.

If the name of this book gives you the idea that book is erotica, you are deceived. There are sex scenes, yes, but they are not X-rated. This is the story of a man who grew up to lead the life of a Lothario and is now trying to find a way out of that lifestyle while trying to prove that he is innocent of murder.

And considering who the murderer is and the method of murder, maybe the life of a Lothario isn’t one to be desired.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Sentences:
He was sitting on top of the counter with his long legs sprawled across all three sinks, staring at the mirror in deep concentration, as is he was willing the Wicked Witch of the North to appear from the mirror and weave a spell to make him handsome instead of butt-ugly.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, like a feather duster gently moving across a hardwood floor.

His complexion was so pale that his zits looked like glowing embers on a sheet of white paper.

What if his brother had turned the body into hamburger and planned to serve it to the customers to get rid of the evidence?

[Teddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Juan Casanova was raised mostly by his grandparents and they raised him to follow in their footsteps. His Grandmother was the owner of a brothel. It was she and his grandfather that raised him to be a Lothario (a seducer of women). They taught him all the tricks in the trade and he was like a magnet for women. He could have his pick.

When he came of age he had to go off and fight in Vietnam. Like most vet who returned home, he was changed. He turned to booze and of course, lot of women to blot out the horrifying memories of war.

Now at 39 years of age, he has sworn off women, at least until he meets the one he can become faithful to. However, it isn’t that easy and he falters. So many obstacles are in his path including the the girl he rescues from a brutal pimp and the murder of his Grandfather and brother. As the evidence keeps stacking against him and the blame of the murders points to him, he must focus on proving his innocence and dodging the real killer.

There are many twist and turns in the plot that kept me turning the pages. I loved the strong cast of female characters. Books like this often have weak women who can’t think for themselves. However, Lofthouse didn’t go the “damsel in distress” way, except for the girl Don Juan rescued from the pimp. This was refreshing! Highly recommended!

[Victoria Brinius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Don has to change his ways and can only be with one woman. That is what I thought when I read the info for this book. However it is so much more. The murderer might get away with it if Don takes the fall, There is the nightclub, and of course there is an undercover agent. The book was definitely unique, especially with people hiding in dishwashers and the author's take on certain adult establishments (floating for example). I like the author's style of writing, he has a certain way of making his characters very quirky. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a clever book based on an old tale. Though it was graphic at times it was still an interesting read.