It was a no for me.

The surrogacy part made me really uncomfortable. I’ve had several friends become surrogates and they are doing amazing things by giving someone the gift of life. It felt like it cheapened the actual act itself. Would’ve much rather preferred an accidental pregnancy trope to this.

A original rom com is hard to come by these days, but this one was exactly that! Also, this book was hilarious and romantic in the best way! I love this author!!

The set up was unique. Wyatt is ready to be a father, but doesn't have a wife/girlfriend/partner in the picture, so he turns to a surrogate agency. Obviously, this isn't going to work, because we would have no story. The agency was painted as a fussy, "higher than thou" type of place that was unable to match Wyatt because he's a rugged mountain man with no family. Just not a good bet.
In steps his almost an adult niece, who decides to help her favorite uncle find the perfect match. She in fact runs into Trista at the very same agency, where Trista was rejected as a surrogate, and it's a match made in heaven!
Wyatt and Trista are pretty hilarious together. Wyatt, the grump in this story, is very set in his ways, very strong, somewhat controlling... where a sunshine Trista is just that, sunshine and happiness. She brings light into Wyatt's life as well as a barn full of animals.
It's a pretty sweet pairing. I enjoyed the build of their relationship, learning about Wyatt's brothers, and Trista's history. There's definitely room for more there.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

SO FUNNY!!! So many of my friends were reading this so I got FOMO… so glad I managed to snag a copy this was so fun to read!! What a delight 💕

So I am one of the lucky ones - I read this beautiful book from Amy when she was an indie author, and now I have gotten to read it again after she's been picked up by Harper Collins - Canary Street Press and when I say it feels like such an honor? I truly mean that!

I find myself just completely enjoying and loving this book - from the opening with the wanted add, to the banter between brothers, the love and protectiveness that they have for their niece. To ultimately every single thing about Trista - from how she and Everly meet, to how she meets Wyatt, to her "interview" with him, and everything that followed - I just absolutely adore her. She's gorgeous, she's witty, she's determined to show up them all, and she's SO very loving. Her kindness shows through everything and the way she and Wyatt naturally grow together absolutely blows me away.

I just love these mountain men and their special family, and can hardly wait for Calder's book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Daws, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

This is everything I could have wanted. It was so cute. I was hesitant at first because it is such a wild concept, but Amy sure didn't disappoint.

This was my first Amy Daws book, and it definitely won’t be my last. The story opens with outrageous, laugh-out-loud humor but quickly evolves into a heartfelt journey of healing, growth, and found family. It hits some of my favorite tropes: grumpy/sunshine, small town vibes, found family, and a curvy FMC who completely steals the show.

That said, Daws' brand of humor might not be for everyone. A word of caution — if you have a personal history with surrogacy, this story could be triggering, especially considering the unconventional (and honestly ridiculous) way the baby is conceived. I personally found it hilarious in an over-the-top kind of way, but I can see how it might not land the same for everyone.

Between the multiplying farm animals, the rowdy, lovable brothers, and one grunting, mountain-man hero, I devoured this book in a single day. I’m already itching to jump into book two!

Good first: The idea of the book was so good! I loved the setting on the mountainside with animals and a found family. I really loved the MMC he was definitely my favorite and the most normalized character... aside from his brothers. I loved the whole roughing it on the mountainside, the eco friendly lifestyles and the banter. The want to have a family and the love inside of that idea. I absolutely loved seeing the POV from his sister as well(so this is mostly a 2 POV but they threw in a 3rd every now and then) I really loved how she was Plus size and how she grew to understand how a family was ment to be since hers treated her like crap. It was beautiful to see he fall in love with tbe baby in her over time.

The not so good stuff for me: The FMC was not my cup of tea.. like she was ALL over the damn place and slightly psychopathic. Some of the stuff she would say was just off the wall, dumb or downright nasty, like “I Swear it was crafted out of the foreskin of newborn babies it’s so comfortable” when comparing a mattress to softness... like who says that!! Thats nasty! There are a few others i didnt like in it and just couldnt like her... I think its really odd the way they got her pregnant in the beginning... like i feel like it should have been the "deed" rather then the weird awareness that went on for a week.

So all and all the story line was good and loved the setting and most of the characters in the book... i just couldnt get past the quotes and the FMC.

I don’t gravitate towards books with kids (or future kids), but I thought the premise and setting of this one was interesting enough to try and I ended up mostly enjoying it. Because of the premise, I did have to remind myself that this was just a book in moments that didn't reflect a realistic/professional relationship and appropriate power balance. But, as this is a romance book, I did go in having an idea of how things might work out and I tried to embrace the fun of the relationship along the way.

Thank you NetGalley

Amy Daws delivers a sweet and emotional story in Nine Month Contract that proves sometimes the best love stories come from the most unexpected arrangements.

Grumpy mountain man Wyatt fletcher is looking for a surrogate and his family is going to do everything in their power to help him. Trista is loud, outgoing, and loves her animals. She’s also everything Wyatt needs in a surrogate.

I love the writing style of this book and I also loved the characters as a whole. The book was fast paced and a fun read with a lot of romance and spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

If you’re looking for something to pull at your heart strings, make you laugh, and a little hot this is definitely the book for you 4.5/5 ⭐️

how did the sentence: “I Swear it was crafted out of the foreskin of newborn babies it’s so comfortable” pass though edits??? I’m so sorry I have to dnf-

This was a DNF for me (even though I wanted to love it) because I got the ick the second she compared the mattress to foreskin and just can’t bring myself to pick it back up.

Big fat nope from me
DNF After reading the first few chapters & then the reviews others have left I already was starting to feel uncomfortable with this one but then I saw the author pop up on threads telling a reader that she was wrong for being uncomfortable with the FMC comparing the softness of her bed to infant foreskin & ending that whole thought process with "it's been a while since I touched a penis" | feel as if authors don't belong in readers spaces. You cannot police how people feel about your writing & to come into a reader space & tell her that she's in the wrong for taking it out of context. No amount of context fixes that what she wrote was wildly inappropriate. As a mother of 2 small boys, I'm glad I didn't read too much of this one. & will be avoiding all books by this author in the future.

I did unfortunately dnf this book. This book is out of my normal comfort zone of reads and I wanted so badly to fall in love with this book and the characters but I couldn’t not.

I really wanted to love this one but i think the idea of a surrogacy romance just isn't for me. There were some cute moments throughout the story but overall i just couldn't really get into it. The characters were frustrating for me, i can only handle so much unearned distrust and self loathing. I think that there is definitely an audience for this story unfortunately i was not it.

Highly recommend to anyone! Great comedy and the MMC is the perfect mix of "manly" and "open-minded". And don't get me started on the FMC! Love her! She is stubbord and yet she is so human. She has goals and she goes for it!
This storyline is something new that I haven't read before. Who would have thought about a lumberjack wanting to have a kid as a single man. It was refreshing and eye-opening.

I tried yall…i think the tropes/plot lines could have been something but these two MCs made it sooo difficult. They had their own deep rooted issues which is FINE but the work wasn’t done and the unhealthy was shining through. i couldn’t finish these in less than a week which says something, i hope to read something else from this author because the writing and thought is there this story just wasn’t for me

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Wyatt Fletcher is a grumpy man who lives on a mountain alongside his brothers. After a woman comes between them, he swears off relationships. He doesn't let it stop him from pursuing his dream of being a father, though. After a series of frustrating interviews with potential surrogates, his niece decides to take matters into her own hands and find a perfect match for Wyatt.

Trista grew up without a supportive family and has her mind set on a life of independence. She has big goals but not much financial security. so surrogacy seems like a good option to help her dream of building a wildlife rescue. A chance meeting with Wyatt's niece puts her one step closer to achieving her goal.

Nine Month Contract is a charming, funny, a little spicy and pretty cheesy story. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy Amy Award's Cocky Kingsman brothers books. It is not for readers who dislike pregnancy tropes, please take the author's note into consideration when deciding whether or not to read.this book.

Thank you to Harlequin for providing an eARC.

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws was an adventure to read, funny, engaging, but also with some cringe (mostly thanks to the main character, Trista, who is both awkward and endearing). At the center of the story is an unconventional surrogacy arrangement that quickly spirals into a chaotic, emotional, and crazy roller coaster. Wyatt, the would-be dad, is a rugged, emotionally earnest man who lives atop a mountain with two of his three brothers as his closest (and nosiest) neighbors. He wants to be a father more than anything, and when his niece takes matchmaking to a whole new level by finding him a surrogate, things get interesting, fast. Trista was looking to become a surrogate to make extra funds, as she would like to start an animal rescue. She is also a bit of a hot mess with a good heart and zero filter. If you enjoy a character-driven, unconventional romantic comedy full of chaos, this book is for you!