Showing results by author "Di Brookes" in All Categories

In the vacation rental industry, there are three levers you can adjust to accelerate the growth of your business: occupancy, rates, and property inventory. For the past few decades, our industry has been absolutely obsessed with two of them, while virtually ignoring the most important one. Why? Because the inventory growth lever is arguably the hardest one to turn. Not anymore.

Brix Ward is a grade-A prick.He's arrogant, spoiled, and self-centered. As the lead singer of A Rebels Havoc, he's used to women falling over themselves for a chance to tame the wild bad boy. Except for me. I still remember the boy I grew up with. The one who went out of his way to make my life a living hell. I did my best to avoid him at all costs. Imagine my surprise when our parents announced they had eloped, then left me to live with my new stepbrother. Alone. Now, no matter what I do, there's no escaping him. He's always there, tempting me, provoking me. Every moment of every day.

A lone man, Peanut, escapes a labour camp in the dead of night, fleeing across the winter desert of northwest China. Two decades earlier, he was a spy for the British; now Peanut must disappear on Beijing's surveillance-blanketed streets. Desperate and ruthless, he reaches out to his one-time MI6 paymasters via crusading journalist Philip Mangan, offering military secrets in return for extraction. But the secrets prove more valuable than Peanut or Mangan could ever have known... and not only to the British.

Starring comedian John Fortune, best known for the satirical TV show Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and screen legend Eleanor Bron, Protesting Too Much is written by Sally Phillips and Kate Brooke. A classic comic caper that will have you in stitches.

One tattooed drummer. One feisty redhead. One sexy-as-sin keyboardist. And one smokin' hot night... What happens when two bandmates from the hottest rock band on the planet hook up with their lead singer’s (off-limits) little sister? Trouble, that’s what. But lucky for Imogen, trouble is exactly what’s on the menu.

Rachel Jacobi-Prince and Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe are delighted to be invited to dine at the captain’s table. A pleasant dinner, shared with Marjorie's son and troublesome daughter-in-law, becomes less palatable when the guest of honour goes missing.

The man on Locke's arm has been identified as Dylan Prescott, the sexy new "it" model currently featured in the latest Calvin Klein ads. Sources tell us the men met on the set of Locke's upcoming action film Insurrection 2, and that "they only have eyes for each other." This is the first public gay relationship for Locke, who came out a year ago, and there has been much speculation on who would finally be the one to catch his eye.

Former police officer Tia quit the Met years ago when she failed her exam to become a negotiator, her dream job. But when a peaceful climate protest at a London museum turns deadly, and one of the radicalised group members takes Tia and others hostage, she realises this is her chance to prove she has what it takes. Three years later, Tia discovers that the surviving hostages are being harassed by an anonymous person, leading one of them to take their own life. Refusing to have another death on her conscience, Tia begins to investigate.

The next stunning novel from Richard and Judy pick Amanda Brooke. When Jo pretends to be asleep as her husband leaves for work the morning after an argument, she doesn't realise how deeply she will come to regret the opportunity to say good-bye. By nightfall her life has changed irrevocably. David has disappeared, and there doesn't seem to be any trace of him. But Jo is five months pregnant, and her marriage is full of secrets - not least, David's unwillingness to start a family..

Ah, Christmas. The most magical time of the year. The snow is falling, cider is flowing, and couples are kissing under the mistletoe. Too bad all that makes me want to gag. It isn't that I'm a hater, it's just that I have a job to do, and this particular holiday is getting in the way of that. And I know what you'll say, that Micah Noble's Christmas Tree Farm is a beloved tradition for many of the families, but you have to see the bigger picture here: a luxury resort where overworked Manhattanites can escape to, a serene place of spas and shopping and watching sexy lumberjacks chopping wood.

Kate processes the mail day in, day out at Standington Prison. With her home life turning stale, she spends her days obsessing over the correspondence between an inmate and his girlfriend. Who is sexy Anna West, and what does she see in a cold-blooded killer? Kate also suspects her husband of having an affair. Harper, her stepdaughter, is full of teenage angst and resentment toward her. Her other stepdaughter, seven-year-old Felicity, has selective mutism, brought on by the trauma following her mother’s death.

I was the girl who felt like she couldn’t have a job that she loved and be a good mom. Turns out that was a lie. I will teach you how to integrate entrepreneurial practices with high-performance systems straight outta’ my b-school playbook. Trained by two of the top business schools in the country, I fell in love with entrepreneurship and eventually embarked on the biggest startup of my life: my family. Between diapers and laundry, I bootstrapped my way to building a six-figure online business. Failures, setbacks, and learning the hard way are all what got me here today. Dive into the ...

When Rachel Prince cruises. It's no honeymoon! Rachel's dream honeymoon is disrupted when Sarah's eccentric cousin is found dead. With wedding plans up and down, Rachel and Carlos have finally managed to tie the knot and head off on a Mediterranean cruise. Their honeymoon spirals out of control when murder interrupts marital bliss, and Carlos receives a mysterious phone call from an old flame.

Four more shows from the groundbreaking BBC Radio series. Described by Barry Took as 'A kaleidoscope of funny voices, catch phrase and innuendo revolving at breakneck speed and with a complete disregard for logic', I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again pre-dated I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and showcased the comic talents of Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall, and Bill Oddie.

A delightful and funny retelling of one of the most famous tales of all time. Follow the antics of these little pigs as they (well some of them) make foolish decisions and flirt with the hungry wolf.

Rachel thinks she is living the dream. Taking a cruise around Australia and New Zealand as a guest lecturer and meeting up again with her best friend, cruise ship nurse, Sarah. The scene is set for the holiday of a lifetime! Rachel Prince is drawn to investigate when the leader of a bucket list tour party is discovered in the library on the first day of her antipodean cruise. Can this seemingly harmless group of elderly people have a killer among them?

The English Electric Canberra first came into production in the late 1940s and has since played a hugely significant part in world events. In Canberra Boys, Andrew Brookes takes us through its rich history with the help of those who operated this magnificent machine. Contributors include Roly "Bee" Beamont, the English Electric test pilot who first flew the aircraft in 1949.

Brooke Siem was among the first generation of minors to be prescribed antidepressants. Initially diagnosed and treated in the wake of her father’s sudden death, this psychiatric intervention sent a message that something was pathologically wrong with her and that the only “fix” was medication. As a teenager, she stepped into the hazy world of antidepressants just at the time when she was forming the foundation of her identity. For the following fifteen years, every situation she faced was seen through the lens of brokenness.

In 2006, vaquita, a diminutive porpoise making its home in the Upper Gulf of California, inherited the dubious title of world's most endangered marine mammal. When international crime cartels discovered a lucrative trade in the swim bladders of totoaba, illegal gillnetting went rampant, and now the lives of the few remaining vaquitas hang in the balance. Author Brooke Bessesen takes us on a journey to Mexico's Upper Gulf region to uncover the story. She interviewed townspeople, fishermen, scientists, and activists, teasing apart a complex story filled with villains and heroes.

‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy and obsessive Porsche enthusiast & magazine junkie Max Newman @maxripcor, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.