My Heart May Be Broken, But My Hair Still Looks Great

Domestic Equalizers #2

by Dixie Cash

Welcome to Salt Lick, Texas, home of big hair,
big ranches, and two of the biggest busybodies ever
to wield a blow-dryer—Debbie Sue and Edwina,
also known as the Domestic Equalizers. Their motto:
Don't run over him—get over him! Their mission:
Track down and expose your straying man. And they
won't stop until female domestic justice is served.

Debbie Sue Overstreet and Edwina Perkins-Martin have never encountered a problem that couldn't be fixed with a strong margarita, a whole lot of hairspray, and an ear for gossip. They've learned that you'll only find a straying spouse—or solve a crime—by keeping your senses alert. After all, every red-blooded Texas woman knows ears are more than just a place to hang your diamond earrings!

Newcomers stand out in Salt Lick like a preacher in a liquor store, and all ears—and eyes—are on Paige McBride and Spur Atwater. Paige arrived in town with nothing more than two hundred dollars in her pocket and a Cadillac SUV packed with designer clothes. Her oil-rich daddy has cut her off without a penny and now it's time for her to get one of those real jobs.

The Domestic Equalizers know that Paige and her Barbie-doll looks are gonna stir things up. Soon every cowboy, trucker, and even one of Debbie Sue's ex-boyfriends, a rodeo star, is knocking on Paige's door. And, at just about the time she turns up to start her job tending the best cutting horses in Texas, the horses start disappearing from all the local ranches.

Paige discovers she actually likes her work. After all, horses are more loyal than most men. But she doesn't like Spur, the new town veterinarian. Besides being movie-star good-looking, Spur's an ex–football star. Women of all ages love the new vet, and suddenly, more cats and dogs are getting sick than ever before.

Working on the ranch means Paige can't avoid the man, and all those disappearing horses bring her together with the Domestic Equalizers. Edwina and Debbie Sue think that Spur and Paige make the cutest couple—whether they're too bull-headed to realize it or not. But finding themselves knee-deep in the muck of a horse-thievin' and husband-cheatin' escapade is a whole other issue. No doubt about it, hearts are definitely going to get broken, but if these gals have anything to do with it, the hairstyles around town are still gonna look great!

Genres: Chick Lit, Mystery, Romance, Humor, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Southern

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2005

About the author

Dixie Cash is the pen name of Texas-born sisters Pam Cumbie and Jeffery McClanahan, a dynamic duo known for their humorous, character-driven novels set in the American South. Raised in rural West Texas among a colorful cast of cowboys, cowgirls, and larger-than-life personalities, the sisters blend Pam’s zany humor with Jeffery’s dry wit to create laugh-out-loud stories full of charm and heart. Deeply rooted in the world of country western music and small-town life, their collaborative writing brings Southern flair and comedic storytelling to the page. Pam lives in the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex, while Jeffery resides in a small town nearby.

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books just keep getting better! Debby Sue and her best friend and fellow hairdresser have taken their notoriety from the murder they solved in the first book and opened up a detective agency. Its attached to their beauty salon. They advertise that they specialize in exposing cheating spouses.
Their latest case is to discover who is stealing old horses and selling them for dog food. Meanwhile we have a new love story in the background developing between a pretty rich girl who was temporarily cut off by her father so she can become self sufficient and a veterinarian who is from the other side of the tracks.
Lots of funny parts with wonderful Texas ladies and handsome Texas men.

[Susan Gottfried]

What am I missing? No one's heart was broken in this book.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fast read. Made me laugh out loud a few times. I’m not much of a fan of romance novels, but this one was enjoyable.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently discovered this writing duo (two sisters) I am totally loving their books, and extra points for the quirky titles. These books have a lot of snark and country humor with smart well developed characters.
Debbie Sue and her friend Edwina run the local beauty salon and after book 1 have decided to do investigations as a second business. Debbie Sue's husband is a Texas Ranger and Edwina's is a former navy seal. It is all they can do to keep these gals out of trouble which is hilarious.
This mystery involves stolen horses and a new girl in town Paige, who is the daughter of rich tycoon. Paige has been told by her daddy she has to start making her own way, stop living off his money and grow up. For a girl who's main hobby was shopping and partying this is a challenge.
Having been raised in the country with animals, horses and cowboys the humor was perfect for me. There is a complete story, backstory, mystery of sorts, murder and romance. It was all wrapped up in small town with gossip abounding - sort of Steel Magnolias vibe.

[Charlotte Fatal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to read to get away from all the seriousness in my life. Totally fluffy beach read. Didn't realize it was the second in a series and maybe I would have appreciated the plot and characters a little more. I gave it an extra star as it was the perfect book for me to read in the moment. That aside, plot was very generic and characters flat.... Not that I needed it to be different. Overall a cute story.

[Darcie Smith Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review from 2010 is below. It still stands. I love this series so much!! The titles are superb, the characters, the setting and premise are fantastic. I do love to snort laugh and enjoy the intelligence of these women and their observations for the mysteries they solve and life itself. I can definitely recommend this book, this series and this author.
**************
O...M...G!!! Yeah, I know, I've been starting quite a few of latest blog reviews with this, but this book totally deserves the OMG, I swear!

This was the perfect listen, snort laugh funny, excellent characters I could easily dig, and a good mystery with no murder. Missing horses was the main investigation along with the cheating husbands that are par for the two Domestic Investigators.
Main story was Paige McBride and her getting over herself to become a charming young woman...she had a trek to get there. She was born rich and had everything she ever wanted. When she is almost 25, her daddy turns her loose from the funds to make her grow up. Bless her heart, she does her best to find a job, but she's not qualified to do much. She does find a job working on a horse farm in Salt Lick and meets the local veterinarian and does not make a good first impression.

Debbie Sue and Edwina do their darndest to help move things along. And each meeting is so funny and sweet. Debbie Sue and Ed take Paige under their margarita-fueled wings and let her know they are there for her in friendship.
Spur Atwater is the new veterinarian in town. Now, typically, I would toss the book aside with the main man character having a name like Spur, but it's explained (the kids in the family are named for whichever town their family is living at the time) and I already love Dixie Cash's books, so I got over the name.

I also loved the narrator, Peggity Price. She did a wonderful job of voicing all of the characters, nothing too over the top Texan.

I just bumped up the next in the series, I GAVE YOU MY HEART, BUT YOU SOLD IT ONLINE, to the top of my RecordedBooks wishlist. I think I am going to have to get these for my keeper shelf to listen to at anytime I need a *snort laugh* lift. I strongly suggest you get one of this series for a good mystery, good laugh and some good romance.

Five Texas big ol' sparkly diamonds!!!!

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, quick read. I really like this humorous romance with a touch of mystery. Although the recurring characters are Ed(wina) and Debbie Sue of Domestic Equalizers, this story revolves around Paige, a rich daddy's girl who gets a job as a horse handler at a West Texas ranch. She meets Spur, a former Aggie football star and a new vet for the area. He's barely scraping by in his new practice. The sparks fly between them and even though you know how it will end, it's fun getting there.

Quotes to remember:

Don't run over him, just get over him.

Some things never change...You can put a pair of boots in the oven, but that don't make 'em biscuits.

[Madam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, frivolous and feisty, Southern chick lit always focuses on scrappy women refusing to sit back and take s**t, getting on with their lives even when -- yes -- their hearts are breaking. That's what Texas hairdressers/sleuths Edwina and Debbie Sue help Paige accomplish in this tale of heiresses, horse-napping and hijinks. Dixie Cash doesn't write serious literature, but the sisters behind the pen name (Pamela Cumbie & Jeffery McClanahan) create fun reads that help feisty ladies, Southern or otherwise, get through the rough patches of life.

[Kathy Wheeler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. I was beginning to wonder if it was even a Domestic Equalizer book as we are many chapters in before Debbie Sue and Edwina even show up. On top of that, the mystery they are supposed to solve is just tossed in and doesn't even get going until chapter 23. As usual, the misunderstandings between the two people readers are supposed to hope fall in love are stupid and their assumptions about each other's actions are ridiculous -- so ridiculous that I couldn't bring myself to care about them. Normally I like these books for light reading , but I couldn't bear this one.

[Lori (on hiatus, life is crazy busy)) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventurous and hilarious story about Debbie Sue and Edwina! These two friends crack me up! This time in Salt Lick Texas there is a new girl named Paige and a new Dr. In town who bought the Veterinary clinic. He and Paige start off on the wrong foot. Both coming from two different backgrounds. But they can't stop the attraction between them either. Meanwhile, someone is stealing old horses and selling them to a slaughterhouse. Paige quickly becomes friends with Debbie Sue and Edwina and no one can stop the three of them trying to track down the horsenapper! I loved this story!

[Jane Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books! The characters are lovable, and the two love interests are darling. I enjoyed reading a book about a woman who came from money for once and a guy who didn't come from money and couldn't care less about the size of her bank account/inheritance, either -- 'twas refreshing and didn't feel like a trope that's been so used it's prune-y from being watered down so much.

I was so sad when it ended. :/

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dixie Cash's books are a bit of guilty pleasure. They may not be the most well written books, and focus a little too much on the romance for my taste, but the team that writes these books do have an undeniable funny bone between them. Yeah, you know how it ends, but the quirks are why I read them. All in all, as good as I expected.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable book about a spoiled young girl who finds herself in the last place she would have ever imagined: a small town called Salt Lick. This is a great love story with a hint of mystery.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paige, a spoiled rich Texan who bears a striking resemblance to a life sized Barbie, is suddenly cut off by her caring father and forced to seek work. When she can't find a job, her father sends her to work for his old friend Harvey, in tiny Salt Lick, west Texas. Looking after horses, Paige is happy for the first time in years. She is especially happy to have met the acquaintance (under hilarious circumstances) of hunky vet Spur, also new to town.

Someone is stealing old horses and selling them to a slaughterhouse. Debbie Sue (from the first book in the series) is terrified for the safety of her beloved old horse, Rocket Man, and when her fear becomes reality, she, Edwina, and Paige try to recover the horse and turn the thief over to the authorities.

This is a funny, romantic, and very light and fun read. It was great to see Paige meet up with our old friends Debbie Sue and Edwina again. along with their now husbands.

[Christine Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich debutante, Paige McBride, meets poor working-class man, Spur Atwater. When Paige, a rich, young woman from Dallas, Texas, meets Spur, a new veterinarian in the small out-of-the-way town of Salt Lick, Texas, the two are immediately attracted to each other because each thinks that other is "hot," but at the same time, they don't believe there can ever be anything between them because they come from completely different backgrounds and they have nothing in common. Turns out, they have plenty in common, but it takes a lot of subplot twists and turns for them to realize it.

Enjoy a tongue-in-cheek romp through the pitfalls of true love as author Dixie Cash captures the flavor of small-town Texas as seen through the eyes of a spoiled, rich city slicker like Paige McBride.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. Taking place in Salt Lick, Texas, the story features Debbie Sue and Edwina, who not only have a hair salon, but they also own the Domestic Equalizers, a detective agency that normally finds cheating spouses. This time, though, they are contacted to help find some horse thieves, but in the meantime, they have another project: to take spoiled rich-girl Paige and help her adjust to a basic, pared-down life working on a ranch training cutting horses. The situations they all get into are funny, and the romance that is lurking between Paige and the new vet in town adds some spice to the mystery.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I gave this series another shot. I read the first book for five years ago maybe and I wasn’t impressed… I don’t remember what didn’t impress me exactly but I looked back at the review and I had written “maybe I’m just not in the mood“ and since the storyline looked good, I wanted to give it a go. I’m glad I did because it was both interesting and hilarious! It’s dark out a little bit slow, but I really enjoyed the characters as they developed. I’m going to continue with the series for sure.

[Phyllis Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Domestic Equalizers series (and now I know why the series has this name.) Very fun story, with a lot of laughs a (little) sex and good-hearted people. It would have been very easy for Debbie Sue and Edwina to write Paige off as a spoiled rich daddy's girl, but instead they read her heart and took her in as a friend.
Can't wait to read the next one in the series.

[Rebecca Cecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS MY FIRST BOOK I READ BY THIS AUTHOR. THE BOOKS WAS GOOD AND SUNNY PARTS THROUGHOUT THE BOOKS TOO. LOVE THE CHARACTERS EDWINA, DEBBIE SUE AND PAIGE. PAIGE LEARNS RESPONCIBILITY AND THAT SHE CAN LIVE WIHTOUT SO MUCH MONEY. JUST A NICE BREAK FROM MYSTERIES FOR ME.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize that the sequel would be centered on a different set of characters with Debbie Sue and Edwina being side characters, but I think that works. That way you can still do a dramatic romance and not have to constantly soap opera the people that we wrapped up in the first book over and over again. This one was equally as light and breezy and it was nice to have the mystery not be a person murder. Plenty of drama but the main 2 were still likeable. Fun and a fast read.

[Dana Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the stories! I can't stop laughing when reading this. Can't wait to keep going on the series!

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, mysterious, and very much Texan...great combination!! I love this series!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The romance between two new characters was fun. Debbie Sue and Edwina know how to make a gal feel welcome in Salt Lick.

[Chrisinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Comparisons to Fannie Flagg do not hold up. This one is really a romance with a little Texas/country flavor. Nothing objectionable, but not really funny, quirky or out of the ordinary either.

[Karen Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and fast read. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Holly Freudenberger Kitchens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun read

[Tiffanie Serritella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, fun story. I really like Dixie Cash’s style of fun, lighthearted stories!

[Antoinette Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Somewhat predictable but highly entertaining! I haven't laughed so much reading a book in a long time

[Antoinette Dunn]

Hilarious!

This is a really good book and very funny. I haven't laughed so much in a while. Great change of pace. Somewhat predictable but had a good ending. A feel good book.