REVIEW DONE BY Nicole
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this books for review purposes on this blog, free of charge, from the author, via Bring It On Communications (and Mama Bzz) .No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told what to say about the book!
Summer reading – definitely. Maximal Reserve is an action packed, information dense, prophesy loaded, quality read. It is filled with a little bit of conspiracy and fabulous content regarding the Middle East, Israel, and the oil reserve. Though fiction, much of the content isn’t too far from the truth. Biblical truth, that is, regarding what I believe is the future of the nation of Israel. This book is definitely written by a man. I liked it . . . Sam Batterman kept me in suspense . . . but sometimes I suppose I thought Mr. Batterman gave me a little bit too much detail about the blood and guts left at the scene of a crime. Yea. I wanted to turn my face. (But that is hard when you are reading a book because then you umm . . . can’t read.) You can find Sam Batterman on Facebook or purchase his book on Amazon ($11.99) (there is even a Kindle version!) This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Bring it on Communications in partnership with Deep River Books for this review.Review done by Granola Mom
"A secret that can change the balance of the world's power and finance in a moment is known by the most unlikely of people - and he's only been employed for a week.Philip Channing was just an ambitious college graduate who wanted to make his mark on the world. He didn't know that mark would be the greatest oil discovery of all time - in the wrong place. Philip finds the largest oil reserve in history, a reserve that dwarfs the lucrative reserves in Saudi Arabia and threatens to change the world's balance of power and wealth in favor of the most unlikely country of all.But Phil isn't the only one who's discovered the reserve - and an alliance of crooked politicians and terrorists will do anything to keep it secret."About the Author:
"Sam Batterman grew up in the 1980's with a pocketful of quarters to play video games in one hand and a stack of computer magazines in the other. He holds a Computer Science degree from Bob Jones University and works as a Software Engineer in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wonderful wife, Susan, and his two kids, Samantha and Parker. He teaches Computer Programming at a Christian school and enjoys seeing kids get excited about the technology he loves so much. Sam's first novel, Wayback, had become the best seller for Deep River Books. Sam and his wife serve at Valley Forge Baptist Temple in Collegeville, PA."My Take:
You have to love a good novel about a major conspiracy! Especially one involving the middle east and oil reserves.Maximal Reserve is a fantastic book, and I enjoyed reading it from page one. There is so much excitement, suspense and drama! The characters are real, and the author truly makes you love the good guys and really, really hate the bad guys. I don't want to give away any major plot points, but I must say that I *love* how it ends, and I wish that somehow this book was true.Although the book does go into details about complex computer programs and oil systems, the author makes it mostly understandable to the lay person. The author also signed my book with his name and the Bible verse "Jeremiah 29:11". The verse translates to say "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." The book's plot really exemplifies this verse - both to characters and entire countries.Cost: You can buy Maximal Reserve for $11.24 from Amazon.com, and it's also available for $9.99 for your Kindle Reader. ($$$)Overall: We give Maximal Reserve a 9.5/10!We received "Maximal Reserve" free of charge for the sole purpose of this review; no other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Deep River Books / Bring It On! Communications for this review.
Review done by LoveLearningAtHome
Company: Bring it On! Communications/Deep River Books
Book or Product: Title: Maximal Reserve
Author: Sam Batterman
ISBN: 1935265520
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
With gas hovering at $4 a gallon, this thriller couldn’t have come for me to read at a better time. Usually, this wouldn’t interest me, but because I am beginning to realize that oil is a huge part of our economy I was excited to receive the book Maximal Reserve to review.
I was unable to put the book down from the moment I started reading the prologue. The book starts out with a bicycle/car chase that ends with Jack Sanders dead. He has stumbled upon information that no one wants disclosed. Luckily, he has sent the information to his friend, Phillip (Phil) Channing in an encrypted message. Phil has just landed his dream job with Access Energy to finish uncovering a secret that will rock the world powers like never before. The oil reserve that has been uncovered is huge stretching all the way to Israel. It also is in the middle of the ocean which makes it hard to get. The world’s oil supply as they know it is about to change hands. As you would guess, there are people who don’t want this to happen and will do anything to keep it secret. Phil and his fiance’s lives are in danger. Will he be able to stay alive long enough to see this incredible discovery made public?
This book, although fiction, makes me really think that this kind of thing could happen. In my book, that makes this a good book.
This book has everything that a thriller needs to keep you reading. From crooked government officials to a love story, it’s all there.
Oh yeah, and the copy I received was autographed. How cool is that?
If you would like to read this amazing book, you can purchaseMaximal Reserve from Deep River Books for $14.99. You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.
I would definitely recommend this book! You will not be disappointed.
Please note that I received a copy of this book from Deep River Books and MamaBuzz in exchange for my honest opinion in this review. No other compensation was given. Thank you to both of them for this opportunity.
Review done by Angie
I have had the privilege of reading some really exciting books here recently, and that includes the latest -Maximal Reserve by Sam Batterman. Published by Deep River Books and Bring It On! Communications, Maximal Reserve is a faith-based political thriller that will keep you on your toes.
From the bestselling author of Wayback comes Sam Batterman’s second Christian thriller.
Petroleum exploration engineer Phil Channing uncovers the single largest oil reserve in history--and he's only been employed for a week. The find is so large that it dwarfs all Middle East reserves combined, and lies so deep within the bowels of the earth that it can't be reached by any conventional method. He discovers how to tap into this Maximal Reserve through research left behind by a college friend who was brutally murdered just before Phil took the job. The secret lies in the cryptic revelation of a complex of lava tubes on the southeast side of the Dead Sea known as Etsba Elohim--the Finger of God.
This knowledge provides the ability to reach this incredibly strategic resource and threatens to change the world's balance of power and wealth in favor of the small nation of Israel. Maximal Reserve should definitely be turned into a movie. It's one of those books that makes you feel like you were right there with the characters. There's plenty of suspense, mystery, and even a little romance. As always, I appreciated the clean yet exciting action and romance of this faith-based novel, and it was really hard to put it down even at two in the morning! Maximal Reserve takes on current topics like politics, the Middle East, and the oil crisis, all while maintaining an entertaining yet educational storyline. If you read only one book this summer, Maximal Reserve
Review done by Ellen
Author: Sam Batterman
Genre: Fiction, General
ISBN: 978-1-935265-52-8
Publisher: Deep River Books
Suggested Retail Price: $14.99
From the book:What if oil isn't scarce? A secret that can change the balance of the world's power and finance in a moment is known by the most unlikely of people - and he's only been employed for a week.
*****************
Phillip Channing just graduated from college and wants to do something with his life rather than continue on with his education. He goes for an interview with a very prestigious company and is flown via helicopter to learn something that will change his life. He accepts the job and finds the biggest oil reserve in the entire world. Unfortunately, he isn't the only person that's discovered this. There are a host of criminals and power hungry politicians who have discovered the same secret that he has and they don't want him to tell. They'll stop at nothing to keep him quiet so that the balance of power in the Middle East doesn't change.This is a really awesome Christian thriller. It will make you question everything you think you know about the origins of oil. If you like conspiracy theories and secret government missions, you are going to really get into it. While it contains a lot of technical jargon, it's written in a way that is very easy to understand even by someone who has no technical history at all. I had no problem imagining that this exact same scenario could happen today in the real world. This made the book even more fun to read. Very easy to read and hard to put down. Great book!Follow Deep River books on Facebook & Twitter. My thanks to the author and MamaBuzz for allowing me to review this book.As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
Review done by Crystal Murder, mystery, intrigue, new ideas pertaining to the oil industry, religion and romance. This book has all of that and more. It is written in a way that really draws your attention and captivates you. I felt like I was in the story, living each moment with the characters. It was like reading a favorite crime scene drama like NCIS or CSI. Mr. Batterman did an excellent job with research in this novel and posts his resources at the end, noting that if any mistakes are found, they are solely his. He includes the religious background to the theories outlined in the novel and takes us on an adventure. The part I like most about his in-depth research is that when he included geo-bio terminology I might not otherwise understand, he explained the meaning in a way that fit in with the context of the novel. The characters spoke to each other in professional and layman terms, allowing the reader to understand exactly what was taking place. The oil industry, biology, geology and seismic studies all go together. Oil comes from the ground so knowledge of everything around it is a must and “Maximal Reserve” shows us that. These oil tycoons have to have teams of professionals that know about everything they will come into contact with when drilling deep in the ground. I’ve always been a little bit of a rock nerd. I don’t know much about it but have a love for all things beautiful and can definitely appreciate the colors, minerals and difference between rock types and formations. I had rock collections as a child and still love when I find a beautiful rock or piece of Agate. I love visiting local caves and while I know all the “good stuff” has most likely been harvested from them I love seeing what is beneath our feet. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to go full on Spelunking though. “Maximal Reserve” takes us on a journey deep beneath the ocean and far below the Earth. It questions our original theories about the origins of oil by following new facts as well as scriptures found in Genesis 49:25, and Deuteronomy 33:24. Philip Channing is hired by Axcess Energy to finish uncovering this new idea which leads to a secret that could change the world and the countries that hold the most power. There are people around Phil that do NOT want this secret exposed and will do anything they can to make sure it is silenced forever. Sam Batterman keeps you on your toes offering twists and turns at every corner. I was drawn in from the get go. This is yet another book that kept me wanting more. I didn’t want to stop reading until I had finished it. The entire book kept me on my toes but it did end a little abruptly. I would have liked to see more in the end regarding the finale of the “secret” and the new direction in Phil and Lisa’s life. Hopefully, there will be a sequel that picks up where “Maximal Reserve” left off!!! In my personal opinion, it is a fantastic read. Sam Batterman grew up in the 1980′s with a pocketful of quarters to play video games in one hand and a stack of computer magazines in the other. He holds a Computer Science degree from Bob Jones University and works as a Software Engineer in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wonderful wife, Susan, and his two kids, Samantha and Parker. He teaches Computer Programming at a Christian school and enjoys seeing kids get excited about the technology he loves so much. Sam’s first novel, Wayback, has become the best seller for Deep River Books. Sam and his wive serve at Valley Forge Baptist Temple in Collegeville, PA. “Maximal Reserve” is available at Deep River Books Price: $14.99. Follow Deep River Books on Twitter and Facebook. ———————————————————————————————————————- This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Deep River Books/ Bring It On! Communications for this review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
review done by Mel Phil Channing has been down on his luck for some time, trying to find a job since graduating from college. When offered a job with Axcess Energy (along with a sizable sign-on bonus) Phil knows he’ll have the resources he needs now to finally ask his girlfriend, Lisa, to marry him (with the blessing of her country club parents). What Phil doesn’t know is that this job is going to forever change his life in more ways than he could ever imagine. As a research scientist for Axcess Energy, Phil is researching a deep place in the Atlantic Ocean, an extremely large oil reserve that stretches all the way to the tiny nation of Israel. The only problem is how to get to this oil reserve, as it is so deep that it’s beyond any of our modern capabilities. Phil and the other scientists aren’t alone in their findings, though; there is a traitor in the midst….make that several traitors, including prominent government officials and politicians. One by one people involved with this project are being killed, and Phil finds himself the target of assassins. This oil reserve could forever change life as anyone knows it, giving supreme power to the nation of Israel….but there are those who want to make sure that doesn’t happen. When Lisa is kidnapped, Phil will stop at nothing to save the love of his life. This story has all the makings of a great thriller, from action-packed scenes (that played out in my mind like a movie) to romance to suspense, mystery, and conspiracy. There was quite a bit of violence, with some gore. The author, Sam Batterman, certainly has a way of bringing a story to life with keen descriptions and strong storylines. He weaves characters in and out of the story, along with scientific fact that could have honestly went right over my head….but he had a way of making it understandable for the average reader. This author is one I will definitely take note of; I would love to see more stories from him in the future. You can purchase Maximal Reserve from Deep River Books for $14.99. I highly recommend this book.
