It doesn't matter which order you go in; I went up to Carlin, as well, before going to Lovis, with a slight detour along the way (as you may have found already).
You only use one save? Even if you never get into trouble with opponents that are too tough and you can not retreat, don't you ever want to try quests different ways, or see how NPCs react to different dialog choices, etc?
Welcome to the forum.
