** spoiler alert ** 
 I didn't read these books because I was expecting high art. 
 The happy ending is far too neat: 
 - A giant deus ex machina angel swoops in at the last minute to kill the Big Bad and all of his minions. 
 - Each character ends up paired off and happily married, producing many beautiful children who bear strong family resemblances. 
 - The resolution to the love triangle is particularly maddening: the triangle's 'elbow' (Tessa) never has to actually choose between her two wonderful, kind, beautiful suitors - Jem is conveniently frozen in the Silent Brotherhood while she marries and builds a life with Will, and only once Will dies does Jem emerge once again to give the immortal Tessa yet another lifetime of companionate happiness. 
 Yeah, it got a little saccharin - but I enjoyed this book (and this series) for much the same reason I enjoyed Downton Abbey: it's a cute, fluffy period piece, meant to deliver warm and cuddly feelings in time for the Christmas Special. And it's almost Christmas now, so why the hell not? 
 The book itself gets 2 stars from me, plus... yeah, okay, an extra star for the warm fuzzies.