Elrich E-Readers March 2026
Highlighting Keyel Evant, the noble bodyguard
Dear Reader,
If you’re new around here, welcome! This is the Elrich E-Readers, a group of Christians who enjoy fantasy books with romance subplots. You have joined this group by entering a giveaway or grabbing my free e-book, Beginnings. You can opt out any time by unsubscribing at the bottom, but I hope you will stick around for news about my book series, Daughters of Tamnarae, and other opportunities to read free, clean, and/or Christian Fantastical Fiction.
Author News:
My audiobook is under approval! I will send you an email as soon as it is available.
Lavanna’s Journey is being edited by C.E. Stone. I am hoping to release it in September.
I am going to be live on Instagram on March 21 at 1 PM with Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, who wrote the Turrim Archive. Save the Date to tune in to that interview. I have another April 4, same time with H.L. Burke. I hope to see you there!
Also, if you are new and didn’t know, I am now offering paid subscriptions! For less than $2/month, you can read the serialized novel, Tala. Find out more about Etania’s mother and father, how they met, fell in love, got married, and most of all, how they came to faith in Melchizedek.
Highlighting Keyel Evant
Keyel Evant has always been Etania’s love interest.
His original name was Malkiel, a name I took from the Bible, meaning “God is my king.” However, it seemed like too much of a mouthful, so I abbreviated it to Keyel.
Unlike Zaden, Keyel was always a bit harder to write. Just like his character, he was reserved, taking a while to warm up to my entreaties for more.
But once he did, he showed me his haunted past, where he failed to protect someone he loved. Once I realized that, it explained why he was so overprotective.
Etania’s relationship with him developed naturally. He was there for her, unlike her father, and he also could relate to her difficulties with Jakin.
Handsome, a good listener, a lover of books, and noble, Keyel is definitely a knight in shining armor.
However, he is flawed.
You see, I didn’t want to make Etania’s love interest a picture-perfect man. I wanted to show his good side in Etania’s Worth and his flawed side in Etania’s Calling. Then, his character comes full circle in Etania’s Destiny.
SPOILERS AHEAD, SCROLL PAST THE NEXT IMAGE TO SKIP
In Etania’s Calling, Keyel struggles with trusting Etania after she lied to him for months. Adding to his jealousy and difficulties was the deceptive prince Zaden, who wiggled his way into their relationship, lying to them both.
Once Zaden revealed his true colors and both of them realized they had been deceived, Etania and Keyel were able to repair their relationship.
In Etania’s Destiny, they are wed. Together, they face the darkness threatening Tamnarae. They learn to forgive Zaden for what he has done.
In the end, Keyel builds a rivalry with Zaden that is more akin to two brothers. He helps Zaden train to become the next Lehrling.
Because Zaden lives with Jakin as his apprentice, when Keyel has children, they essentially become like family.
In Lavanna’s Journey, Keyel takes more of a mentor role, and his conversation with Garel reveals that.
A medieval duel that reminds me of my story. Just give them wooden swords, less armor, and a ship, and you’re in the right place.
“Mind if I duel you?” Keyel asked.
Garel gulped. Keyel was an excellent swordsman who was one of the few who could beat him. The times Garel had won were mainly due to Keyel’s age, rather than skill. Yet, the opportunity to duel the General of the Guard was too great to pass up. He nodded, and they took their stances across from each other.
First, they tested each other, hitting their wooden swords against each other at the tip. Then, Garel took initiative, attacking first with a quick lunge that Keyel easily parried. He countered with a swift thrust, but Keyel deflected that, too. Their wooden swords clacked against each other, and Garel felt sweat drip down the side of his cheek. He tried another maneuver, wanting to stay on the offensive, but Keyel suddenly got the upper hand. Instead of Garel being the initiator, Keyel was, and Garel was forced to defend. Clenching his jaw, Garel tried to regain his footing, but was soon exhausted by Keyel’s relentless, precise sword strikes.
Heaving, Garel was disarmed and out of breath. He bowed, as was custom to end a practice duel, and then noticed that Keyel, too, was panting. Garel smiled.
“What are you grinning for?” Keyel asked, his mouth twitching as it attempted to stay in a firm line.
Garel stiffened and stood at attention. “I-I’m honored to give you a good fight, General.”
“I’m not a General now, Garel,” he said. “I’m just Keyel. You can call me that.”
Garel twitched. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that. After all, you and my father are heroes.”
“Heroes, huh?” Keyel’s expression darkened, and he ran his hand through his hair. “Tell me, how is it that a ‘hero’ like me failed to resist the sirens?”
“You, sir?” Garel sputtered, utterly shocked that Keyel had succumbed.
“Did you listen to what those creatures said?” Keyel asked.
Garel’s brow wrinkled as he tried to recall their words.
Keyel sighed. “The siren told me that it could help me get my wife back in an instant. I knew it was lying, but still…”
Garel tried to contain his shock. “Wh-why are you telling me this?”
“I wanted to comfort you,” Keyel said. “You seem like someone who idolizes the old generation, but doesn’t realize his own value.”
If Garel was surprised before, he was astonished at this moment. How could Keyel see him so clearly?
Keyel laughed at his expression. “I know, it doesn’t seem like the General would notice or care, right? Well, I notice a lot more these days.”
“I-I see,” Garel said.
“Anyway, my point is, we ‘heroes’ are real people, too,” Keyel said. “We make mistakes. We mess up. We seek Melchizedek’s forgiveness.”
Garel didn’t reply.
Book of the Month
They murdered his family-
Stole his childhood, and even his innocence.
But when they came for his soul . . .
The year is 2158. Civilization has collapsed, but from the ashes, the Order has emerged, not as a savior, but as the unseen power that has ruled all along. Once a subtle force lurking in the background of human history, the cataclysm has unveiled the Order’s dominion in full—an unchallenged, one-world religion that bends all to its will. Truth is a relic. Dissent is a death sentence.
When Professor Reuel arrives unannounced and in obvious distress, his old friend Butterman offers help.
But his assistance may very well come at the price of his home and his livelihood, possibly even his life- unless a new visitor intervenes.
Find out if Butterman or Reuel can survive the tyranny of the Order, and start the adventure with a sneak peek behind the scenes of the exciting new epic, The Seekers Series.
Fans of Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and the sprawling worlds of Dune and Atlas Shrugged will be captivated by the pulse-pounding fusion of high-stakes thriller, epic sci-fi, and profound spiritual warfare.
Until Next Time,
M.H. Elrich