Kissed By an Angel Trilogy

Just finished the trilogy: Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler. My first thoughts when I began reading it were that it was a little too 'Touched by an Angel' and Disneyesque for me.

The main character, Ivy's, belief in angels made me want to gag quite a few times. Don't get me wrong, people can believe in what they want, but when it is mentioned practically every three pages about her  angel beliefs I just couldn't quite handle it. Her statues, her summoning them, her friends even mentioning them. At times I felt the belief was too vivid in the story, and perhaps this had something to do with why I never warmed up to her character.
So Ivy meets Tristan, captain of the swim team and total high school eye candy to everyone but her. Regardless of how much the name 'Tristan' has terrified me because of my teaching experience, I was able to complete the series developing a sincere liking for Tristan. He was funny, clumsy, sexy: pretty much the total package ALL girls want. He warms your heart because all the girls want him, but he only has eyes for Ivy. The car crash ending his life is not enough to stop loving her.
Tristan comes back as an angel with a mission he is unsure of. With the help of another angel, Lacey, he decides the car accident was intentional and someone is out to kill Ivy. His discovered powers come through a lot in the second book: "The Power of Love." He can get into people's minds if they are willing, and at times he can force them to relive events in their past. Lacy, being a pro, can manifest back into human form, throw her voice across the room, and create havoc, which is something she is quite good at doing. I wished Chandler gave us more information on Lacey's past and present emotions. She could have been such a strong character, however the author put her in the background and had her following Tristan constantly. Obviously she developed feelings for him, so she disappears, heartbroken, after the third book. Lame. I actually enjoyed her snarkiness.
As the three books go on, the reader senses Tristan's jealousy for the other boys Ivy comes in contact with, especially Will. Tristan uses Will to communicate with Ivy, which is easy considering both boys are in love with her. The journey continues and Tristan tries to hold onto Ivy and her love, but if he finishes his mission on earth, he will be forced to let her go forever.
 The ending was exactly what I expected it to be, but it worked. As obvious the plot was, it was right for the story. When I was in the middle of the first book, my first thought was that it was boring because of how discernible it was. There was a point when I questioned whether I had any desire to continue reading. I even went so far as to read the last few sentences in each book so I wouldn't have to. In the end, I stuck it out. The books were only 240 pages, and I managed to finish the series in a matter of five days. Yes, CMT testing definitely helped because I had the extra hour to read. I gave it a 3 out of 5 star rating on shelfari because in the end I did enjoy reading it. It was complete fluff, but it was nice to have a quick read.
I think the titles are so cheesy. Kissed by an Angel, The Power of Love, and Soulmates...really? And if you happen to see the covers to the separate books, it looks like it could be a trashy romance novel. So corny. They should have stuck with the rose theme. It would have been nicer to look at, and I wouldn't have wanted to puke from lack of creativity.
Chandler made a fourth one for the series. Not sure how that will work, but I may just pick it up to finish it off. I mean, how horrible could it be?