Book Talk: Bad Smut

Ok, time to talks books.  I just finished a book called Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice.  Here is the synopsis provided by Barnes and Noble:

"I don’t want to be alone tonight."

Caroline Lake can hardly believe she would ever say these words to someone she'd never met before. When a tall, dark stranger arrives wanting to rent a room in her beautiful empty shell of a mansion, she hesitates. Though she is in dire financial straits, the man looks dangerous—dangerously sexy. She's overwhelmed by the desire he sparks in her—hotter than anything she's ever felt before, making her ache to experience his sensuous touch. But who is this armed and mysterious man with danger following in his wake? He's not who she thinks he is . . .
Jack Prescott has wanted Caroline forever. He has spent the past twelve years dreaming of her, desiring her, while fighting in some of the worst hellholes on earth. Now he's back, with twenty million dollars in blood diamonds and a relentless enemy stalking him. But this time Jack's determined that nothing will stop him from finally making Caroline his.

I read it in two days and I'm afraid I have to give this one a "bad smut" rating.  This story had great potential but fell short on many levels.  Here are my reasons:

• Never really got attached to the characters.  Yes their personal stories were sad, but something about the writing just didn't grab at your heart.  I never felt connected to them and wasn't really cheering for them.  Not people I thought about when I had to put the book down.
• One minute Caroline is thinking how Jack is not attractive but yet has this pull about him and the next minute she is saying how incredibly handsome he is.  Which is it?
• Lots of misspellings.  One character's name is Deaver and the story constantly switches between Deaver and Deacon.  
• Needs more research!!!!!  Jack, the main character was supposedly an Officer in the Army.  Well, he never went to college and only had a GED.  Um, so he could not have been an officer.  He was an Army Ranger. All the covert, heavily secreted, dropped in the middle of a third world countries to infiltrate their government type missions would have been Delta Force, not Rangers.
• Deaver, the bad guy, talks constantly about getting his diamonds back and living the good life overseas.  Only he doesn't say overseas, he says OUTCONUS.  Um, WTF is that?  It is supposed to be OCONUS, an acronym for Outside Contiguous United States.
• Jack constantly talkes to himself in his head.  No big deal, most books use this. But Jack uses lots of words from Courtney's "I don't like that word" list.  Cussing I can handle but if you know me, there are certain words, usually pertaining to women, that make me cringe and just kill the mood!
• The whole book is building you up for the major scene at the end.  I knew there was going to be a problem when there were only 5 pages left.  The books ends with the bad guy dropping to the ground dead.  The End!  You get a little extra tibit from a new character who suddenly gets a check in the mail, so you can figure out what they did with the diamonds, but you get nothing more on the couple.  I don't like that.  Give me a better Happily Ever After.
• Finally, the smut.  It was detailed, but just not interesting.  In fact, after reading several scenes, Jack should have been slightly if not more embarrassed.  See a doctor dude! 

Hope you enjoyed my review.  This is not one I will be buying in print to keep and re-read.