How about meeting God after a night of speed dating?

It isn't exactly a story line I would have conceived of, but authors Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridgeit do a pretty good job setting the scene in Never the Bride for an unexpected debut of God in the life of Jessie Stone. She is a young woman, passionate about love and forever searching for her soul-mate. Whether it is her quirky nature or mere obsession with hating singleness that keeps her from being hitched is up to the reader to decide. That is, until God steps in and challenges her to trust Him with the fate of her love life.

As a married woman, I found myself cringing at her journey, remembering the lonely days of singleness, yet equally convicted that I trust God as little as Miss Jessie when it comes to my fate and future. Seeing God appear, plain as day and as handsome as my husband, made me a bit uncomfortable, but in a good way.

This may be a novel, but there is certainly an element of life application that is unavoidable to the spirit-sensitive reader. Fortunately, I'm not finished reading this unusual love story, so I can't accidentally give away the ending. But I can share a few more words from the publisher and recommend that you pick up this book for a light-hearted summer read.

Jessie Stone has spent thirty-five years fantasizing about marriage proposals, wedding dresses, and falling in love. She’s been a bridesmaid eleven times, waved dozens of couples off to sunny honeymoons, and shopped in more department stores for half-price fondue pots than she cares to remember.

But shopping in the love-of-her-life department hasn't been quite as productive. The man she thought she would marry cheated on her. The crush she has on her best friend Blake is at very best…well, crushing. And speed dating has only churned out memorable horror stories.

So when God shows up one day, in the flesh, and becomes a walking, talking part of her life, Jessie is skeptical. What will it take to convince her that God has a better love story than one of the thousands she’s cooked up in her journals? Will she trust Him with her pen when it appears her dreams of being the bride are forever lost?

A romantic comedy with a spiritual twist, Never the Bride: A Novel is what it means to lose control—and getting more than any woman could ever imagine.

Author Bios
Cheryl McKay is the co-author (with Frank Peretti) of the Wild and Wacky, Totally True Bible Stories series, which has sold nearly 200,000 copies, and the screenwriter of the award-winning film The Ultimate Gift. Rene Gutteridge has published thirteen novels including Ghost Writer, My Life as a Doormat, the Boo Series, the Occupational Hazards Series, and the Storm Series. Together, McKay and Gutteridge are the authors of The Ultimate Gift, a novelization based on the feature film and popular book by the same title.

You can pick up your copy of Never the Bride: A Novel at Amazon.