Book excerpt: It is written in Proverbs, "A beautiful woman who has no sense is like a gold ring in a pig's nose." This may be true but perhaps the greater tragedy is when those closest to her are also blinded by her beauty. This story, "Blinded by Beauty" is a tale of deception and heartache for Joseph, in which the ultimate place of sanctity - marriage - also becomes the very source of pain and sorrow. The former Marine becomes a cop, a father, a husband, a step-father, and ultimately a convicted felon because of the poor choices he makes in trusting the woman closest to him.The aftermath of the break-up of his first marriage and undiagnosed severe depression, PTSD, anxiety disorder, and OCD, leaves Joseph numb and desperate for a family. In this void he meets the beautiful Jezebel who seems to be the exact woman he has been looking for with a ready-made family he can bring his own son into. Blinded by her beauty and a fool for love, Joseph marries Jezebel when she falls pregnant with his child. But even before the nuptials, cracks begin to appear in their relationship. Jezebel is needy, self-harms, pulls a knife on him, bites him, and breaks his ankle. It is also clear she has numerous addictions such as caffeine, alcohol, pills and even a constant need for sex.When they finally marry, Joseph finds himself pulled into a web of lies and deceit that involve convicting her former partner on false charges of molesting her daughter. When it is revealed this partner is actually the son of her former husband, Joseph is horrified and starts to look for ways out of the marriage while still seeking to provide a home for their newborn daughter Paige and his stepchildren. Even though he is working as a police officer and saw how she had her former partner convicted, Joseph still has little idea just how far Jezebel can or will go to cause him harm. Violent and unhinged, it's like she has a split personality, not allowing him to sleep after night shifts and resenting his own son so much his first wife takes out a court order to get permission to move to another state.As the depth of Jezebel's depravity and adultery becomes apparent, Joseph seeks comfort in another relationship sending Jezebel over the edge. But when she attacks him and he calls the police, they arrest him for assault. With his back up against a wall, Joseph finally serves Jezebel with divorce papers and she responds by reporting him to child welfare officers to have Paige taken away from him. Jezebel is in rehab at the time promising to change, but forms sexual relationships with men in the facility, and even the detective investigating the assault case. As the dream of having a loving family cracks, how will Joseph save himself and his daughter?