I loved returning to Kalispell Montana, and 1900 for the third installment of this series. This could be subtitled: Marvella makes match number three, because Marvella Ashbury,the judges wife, has a romantic heart and wants to see a second chance for Johanna and Parker. Johanna and Parker have a history which turned out to be disappointing. A widow now, Johanna has invested in a hat shop and is caring for her daughter and father. But soon things get to be too much to handle. Enter Parker, who has returned from a career as a famous actor, and James, her brother-in-law, who has a nefarious reason to want to wed Johanna.

The love is still there between Johanna and Parker and they both want to honor God however, there are those who are plotting against them.

Full of interesting historical details, fascinating characters, complex family dynamics and with danger lurking, this book kept me turning pages until the very satisfying conclusion.

* A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House on behalf of the authors and via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*

The dynamic duo of Tracie Peterson & Kimberley Woodhouse have done it again, wrapping up the Jewels of Kalispell series in a big beautiful bow! An Unexpected Grace is a heart achingly lovely story of second chance love with a dastardly villain threatening to destroy it all. Romance, suspense, & faith abound when the local hometown son returns after years away with his acting troop to share his talents.

Parker Bennett was supposed to return to Kalispell after seminary school, marry his sweetheart, & take over for his preacher father. However, while away, he was inspired to pursue a different path. As a talented actor, he felt called to share the gospel through his performances. His would be fiancee couldn*t support him in this, so he left to pursue a successful acting career. Now ten years later, he*s returning home to perform the play that made him famous. Seeing his first love again though brings back all the tender feelings. Can he persuade her to give him another chance.

Joanna St. John was heartbroken when Parker left, but she found love again & married another man. Now widowed with a three year old daughter, her heart begins to open back up with Parker*s return. But, someone will go to any lengths to dissuade her from marrying again. As strange things begin happening to Joanna & her small daughter, will Parker be able to protect them both.

I loved this story! The romance between Parker & Joanna is a slow burn delight. There*s a lot they need to work through & neither one wants their heart broken again. Joanna struggles with her loyalty to her deceased husband & her rekindled feelings for Parker. I loved the spunky Marvella who*s determined to see these two back together. I also loved Joanna*s sweet daughter Emily. Parker is so cute with her.

The mystery & suspense kept me quickly turning the pages. I was on pins & needles the whole time. The villain is particularly selfish & cruel. He*s determined to have Joanna for himself for his own purposes. It was so rewarding to see him finally get his comeuppance.

Highly recommend! Though part of a series it can easily be read as a standalone. I received an advanced copy from the publisher with no expectation of a review. All opinions are completely my own & voluntarily provided.

**If you are not familiar with this series, the Jewels of Kalispell are historical buildings/businesses in Kalispell, Montana, that are still standing and being used today. This third book is about the Kalispell Opera House.

The dynamic writing duo of Peterson and Woodhouse has done it again. This was a truly awesome read. And for a guy whose favorite genre' is Christian suspense, that is saying a lot.

Of course all of these authors' books have a villain, so there is always a bit of a suspense. And they created a great villain in James, greedy and evil brother-in-law of the widowed Johanna. I kind of felt bad for him at times. It wasn't his fault the authors created him to be the villain of the story. :)

And the story....great plot, and great and likable main characters. Who doesn't love a second chance romance? And this one was a great one. There was the struggle of Johanna to reconcile still loving her first love, while still loving her deceased husband, and Parker, who had never stopped loving her.

The authors wove a great story around the opera house and theater troupe, adding in romance, Biblical truths, hope, and threads of suspense. All of that combined with some history resulted in a great read that could be held up as a standard of Christian fiction. This book did not just entertain, it made me think on Bible truths and God's will.

I cannot end this review without mentioning Marvella, the judge's wife, matchmaker extraordinaire, and a very amusing and colorful character who was in all the books. She was awesome, and I loved the ending of the book where she got credit for all of her successful matches.

I loved this series, and this final book was a great conclusion to this awesome trilogy.

Special thanks to the authors for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

The name of this book is perfect because you will see unexpected grace throughout the story. Johanna is a widow barely making ends meet as a milliner; someone who makes hats. She lives with her disabled dad and her young daughter. Parker Bennett comes back to town after being gone for ten years. Everyone thought he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a preacher, but he felt the Lord calling him to serve God in a different direction. I fell in love with this story from the very beginning, even though this book is the third in a series, it can be read as a stand alone. But once you read it, then you will want to read the other two, if not but to read more about Marvella and Sir Theophilus. If the book wasn't good enough as is, throw in a nosey brother-in-law and an actress with suspense woven into the story. This is one book that you don't want to miss, I hate to see it end. There was a few things that made me laugh, especially when it revolved around Marvella. "The older woman was actually stunned silent at the request, which the Judge said was a first." I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. I have already pre-ordered this book to go along with the first two. All opinions expressed are my own thoughts of the book. I leave you one last line, " Let the hat wars begin."

An Unexpected Grace #3 The Jewels of Kalispell

by Kimberley Woodhouse and Tracie Peterson

1905 Kalispell, Montana

Widowed Johanna St. John opens a millinery shop in her home town of Kalispell. Her injured father helps care for her three-year-old daughter, Emily, while she works. Johanna is a favorite character, however, her adorable daughter, Emily captured my heart. Emily is a very active three-year-old and makes those around her smile.

Actor Parker Bennett returns home with a traveling troupe. His return brings memories from the past; a past love that he has never forgotten. Is there another chance for him and the love of his life to reconnect and maybe renew their love? Well, the town matchmaker, Marvella Ashbury, is determined to do just that- bring Johanna and Parker together again. However, there is someone who has his own plans for Johanna; he manipulates and even threatens her to do his bidding.

A heartwarming story full of fascinating characters, historical details woven within the storyline, family dynamics, danger, love, second chances and faith. A great ending to this series.

~I received a paperback copy from the author/publisher and an ARC e-book copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley (no monetary gain was exchanged), this is my honest review~