I absolutely adored this!! Wyatt and Trista's journey was lovely to see. I think my favorite character though was Everly. I thought her chapters were hilarious and I felt that she was my spirit animal! I think that Wyatt wanting to find parenthood on his own showed his true nature of being a softy compared to his rough exterior. Overall a nice fluffy good read!

An amazing time. I loved watching the evolution of their relationship. He was protective from the jump and I ate that up.

Okay this was just….NOT for me. The entire premise of this book (romance with your surrogate) is questionable to begin with but I was willing to go along for the ride and see if the characters won me over. They did not.
Our main girl Trista is absolutely infuriating. She talks and acts like a teenager. I wanted to throw my phone at the wall the 5th time she called her vagina her “bajingo” and her breasts “chesticles.” She’s also presented as a curvy / plus-sized character who claims to love her body, but also constantly fat shames herself. She’s also constantly bringing “rescue” animals to this man’s property without his permission? She’s just infuriatingly immature which makes the romance and spice even less appealing. She also constantly refers to herself as an “inseminated cow”…

It all just seems like really forced humor that just doesn’t land? Like if a scriptwriter for iCarly was writing a spicy romance.

The romance itself was incredibly painful, awkward, and cringey to me. Everything just made me so uncomfortable. Before they ever slept together he was checking her out and getting “tight in the pants” over her ULTRASOUND APPOINTMENT. He’s incredibly possessive the whole time and the relationship just never felt appropriate.

Also just this one quote that other reviewers have also pointed out is just so unhinged it feels illegal,

“I swear it was crafted out of the foreskin of newborn babies it’s so comfortable. Not that foreskin is comfortable. I wouldn’t know, I guess. But I venture to bet it’s soft. Adult penis skin is crazy soft. At least what I remember of it. It’s been a while since I’ve touched a penis.”

What??? WHY

Wyatt wants to be a dad and is going forward with his dreams. The surrogacy agency doesn't have a match for him, so his niece decides to find him the perfect woman. Wyatt lives on a mountain above a small town and has spare apartment for his surrogate if needed.

Trista needs the apartment; she's being kicked out of her apartment because the landlord found out about her pig. She's becoming a surrogate for the money, to help get her personal goals in order to start an animal rescue center.

Why I finished it: This was a big swing for romance and I'm reading more Daws books because of this one. Things that worked - 1. crazy family, 2. cute animals, 3. cabin-life dreams. 4. Laugh out loud lines. Things that didn't work for me - 1. lewd and crude right from the first sentence. 2. Lots of graphic sex scenes that I just skimmed over because of #1. 3. Fast and loose with surrogacy issues 4. small town at the bottom of the mountain is the right size to have some really random things and too small for others. 5. Trista's past was a lot. Too much. 6. Who rescues chickens?!?

I was really looking forward to this one based off the blurb, it sounded right up my alley - grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort - but instead I ended up getting the ick pretty earlier on in the story.

I followed through and read the whole thing but overall the story felt clunky and cringe worthy. It started slow with the awkward exchange of Wyatt's niece being very overly involved in her uncle's sex lives - her pushiness throughout the novel was a little much as well.

Trista being so self sabotaging about her looks, repeatedly calling herself a cow, and her general demeanor not really acting as a match to Wyatt (who wasn't exactly a peach himself) was rough. The fact she literally agreed to have this strange man's baby after a ten minute conversation with his random niece that she JUST MET on the sidewalk - was all kinds of bizarre. The insemination process as well, huge red flags all around.

While I can definitely see this book finding its audience, I learned pretty quickly it wasn't for me.

This is my first Amy Daws book. and I can't wait to read more of her work. This was smutty, romantic, and comedic. The plus-sized representation was a breath of fresh air. Trisha had so much confidence and independence.



*ARC courtesy of the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I want to thank the valued author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

This was a fun story with strong characters. A Niece that loves her uncles and has plans for them. Loved the menagerie of animals works well fro this story.

i'm not sure how i feel?
Nine Month Contract feels like there was attempted humor but overall came off as cringy. I loved the small town woodsy vibe with the age gap, but overall I don't think the way the surrogacy was handled wad the best. I did enjoy the family feel of the book and felt it had potential but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this book

This book follows Wyatt Fletcher, who has a contracting business with his two brothers, and lives on top of a mountain along with his brothers (separate houses lol). After losing his father, Wyatt realizes that he wants to be a father himself, but after a traumatic past relationship, he chooses to go the surrogacy route. Despite many offers, Wyatt has declined all the candidates the surrogacy facility has offered and is left with zero and he is feeling down. In comes his niece, Everly, who decides to find the right candidate and help him fall in love as well. She meets Trista, who is storming out of the surrogacy clinic after being denied as a candidate due to her weight, and she realizes she is the perfect choice for her Uncle. Introductions are made and Trista ends up moving up on the mountain to start this crazy nine month contract.

I can see why people didn't like it as it is a bit of an out there concept, and some of the writing was quite interesting esp the stuff about a mattress and foreskin. Also Wyatt expected everyone to just follow his rules and didn't follow other peoples, but then again he was a control freak and I know control freaks so its hard to break them of this behavior. This is my second Amy Daw's novel and the smut is smutting. The banter is quite fun. I do appreciate a tall curvy FMC as I am 6'0, so that was a breath of fresh air. I would give this book a 3.5 star.

This is a forced proximity pregnancy trope and I loved it so much! Wyatt and Trista were perfect for one another. I loved the way Wyatt’s family made her feel like she was always meant to be apart of their family. I loved it when Trista said “But I want you to remember that you told me once that you're a 'five minutes from now' person, always stressing about the future.
I'm a 'five minutes late' person because I've been constantly stuck in the past. But what if, together, we're right on time?”

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc Copy of this title.

Pros:
Good chemistry between the two MCs.
A fun, supportive family full of people willing to work through conflict.
Lots of fun animals and entertaining moments.
MC representation of body types and attraction.

Cons:
Excessive use of language. Some is reasonable, and even expected in today's contemporary romances, but this was a lot. There are other words to use. And I really have never heard anyone talk this way. Ever.
Insemination method. Just ick. Sounds completely unsanitary and the whole contract and process for this sounded pretty sketch.

Overall, 3 stars. Not one I would recommend for friends, but there are readers out there who would enjoy it.

This was such a fun read! Imagine that three mountain men living on the same piece of land. All single, large and handsome as sin. When one wants to be a dad but doesn't want a wife he goes to find a surrogate. Not as easy as he thought. His teenage niece decided she can find one for him. So begins the fun. This is one book you don't want to miss.

I really wanted to like the Nine Month Contract because the premise sounds great, but this was absolutely not for me.

Mountain man Wyatt is wanting to start a family and be a single dad. He has been looking for the perfect surrogate and has had zero luck. His neice Everly has taken matters i to her own hands and thinks she found the perfect match both for surrogacy and romantically.

Trista has had a rough upbringing and is independent and strong willed, she has decided that becoming a surrogate will help her financially to start her dream of owning an animal rescue and has absolutely no desire to become a parent or to have a family in anyway.

This is a slow burn rom-com that keeps you invested rooting for them. There are deeper themes of child neglect. Both Trista and Wyatt deal with past emotional issues and find that together they can heal their past burdens.

*Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of Nine Month Contract in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Where do I begin? I begin by shouting from the rooftops that I love, loved, LOVED this book! When the first line is "You f*cking f@ckers", I'm already hooded. lol! This book was unique, witty, and laugh out loud funny. While being absolutely hilarious, it covered some surprisingly deep topics. It was able to walk the line of remaining light-hearted and entertaining while simultaneously interspersing some heavy subjects like parental abandonment, toxic family relations, cycle breaking, sibling rivalry, body negativity, and surrogacy.
These characters were developed superbly. They seemed to jump right off the page—or rather, from real life into the pages of this story. The characters were all so relatable and lovable. I hope there are follow-up books because I am already dying to read books about Calder, Luke, Everly, etc.
While I, personally, do not have experience or much knowledge regarding surrogacy, I feel like this was represented appropriately. While I have noticed there was quite a bit of negativity in the way it was portrayed in the reviews, I did not have those feelings. I feel like this was just so REAL! I apologize to those that were offended and took it too seriously, but for me it was fine.
I am over the moon with the representation of a full-figure FMC! This book shed light on the not so pretty realities of being a bigger girl while still maintaining a positive spin. It was able to capture the very real insecurities and struggles of an atypical body type. I also loved the raw and truthful realities of... intimacy. Not just in relation to body size, but the ugly truths of reality! Such as shower sex! This was so factual about how it is a struggle for a bigger person in a small shower stall and for the first time ever, a book verbalized the truth of WATER MAKES A HORRIBLE LUBRICANT! Anyone who has attempted relations in a shower knows what I am talking about!!
And speaking of lube, let's talk peppers. This book was hot, hot, HOT! It is romance, so obviously there should be some spice. This delivered. So very spicy in the best of ways without being trashy or overboard. There was still plot and story to carry it, but plenty of spice to keep you hot and bothered.
Above all, this book made me laugh out loud more than any other I have read! I read lots of Lucy Score, Meghan Quinn, Pippa Grant, etc., however, none of them have made me laugh like Amy Daws did!

***POSSIBLE (mild) SPOILERS***



Just to give you a tease, these were a few of my favorites "I want him in my mouth, between my legs, and in my ass. Honestly, I would take him in my ears if it was a thing. It's not a thing...I've checked. I should probably speak with a therapist about those intrusive thoughts, too, because they are ten shades of f%cked up.", "All the fantasies I've had about this woman are finally coming to fruition, and I'm not going to let a little things like oxygen get in the way of enjoying myself", "LIfe has been handing me a sh!tload of lemons lately, and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to find a way to make some freaking juice." And those are only a few of the many laugh out loud moments I found myself in.

In closing, I loved this book. I am so grateful to have received this ARC because it introduced me to Amy Daws. This is my first book of hers that I have read but I can guarantee it will not be my last! I have plans to devour her entire catalog after the good time I had reading this one!

This book checked a lot of boxes for me. It was an easy read and I really enjoyed it.

You have Wyatt, a grumpy mountain man who longs to be a dad but has some serious baggage when it comes to a past relationship that has left him feeling like he would rather be a single dad than try the traditional way so he decides to use a surrogate. His medaling niece decides it is her final job before she goes off to college to help him not only find his Mama Bear but also a chance at love. Enter Trista, a lighthearted and funny woman with past trauma of her own who loves animals of every kind and who needs the money Wyatt is offering to be a surrogate to open an animal rescue. They instantly hit it off and decided to give this surrogacy a shot while Trista stay on Wyatt's mountain with him.

While so many parts of this book were laugh about loud funny, especially the way Trista keeps bringing animals home with her and bulldozing poor Wyatt with them, there where parts that were truly emotional. Seeing the growth between Wyatt and Trista both together and as individuals was amazing. Wyatt knowing how to be loved and Trista struggling to except it was so sweet and I was here for every second of it.

Definitely will be recommending this to the rom-com girlies and if mountain men are like Wyatt and his brothers, sign me up!!! I will be reading the next books about his two brothers that share his mountain!!

You absolutely cannot go wrong with an Amy Daws book! Her stories are always such a page turning experience that just suck you in and make you feel like YOU.ARE. THERE. Seriously, I was cracking up throughout this entire book while shedding some tears as well. Trista is such a dynamic character, and you can't help but fall in love with her all while your heart breaks for her too. And Mountain Main - bless him for his patience and understanding. Everly is of course the family favorite, and I remember her dad's book.

These always feel like quick and easy reads for me, mostly because I just can't stop myself. The character development is perfect, and this is a unique story line I don't think I've seen elsewhere yet. Oh and don't forget there is plenty of spicy too! So if you want to be all up in your feels over fictional characters - grab this one ASAP!

ARC from NetGalley in exchange for review.

5/5 - I’m not sure I have the words. Amy Daws has done it again. Another one out of the ballpark. I always love her books. Can’t wait for more!

We follow a grumpy/sunshine relationship that consist of our "damaged but super lovable" surrogate, Trista, and our "hot anti-social lumberjack", Wyatt. After having no luck with the professionals in the field they happen to become acquainted and decide to"have a go" at this surrogacy thing with a private contract. This is where forced proximity will work obviously work it's magic.

There are things I think the author did well! Wyatt's family was so wonderful and supportive. I loved the small town picture she painted.

There were parts of this story that had me sighing and I feel they need to be acknowledged:
-The surrogacy angle felt icky. What in the "backwoods ideas" are we doing? Did we talk to real surrogates? Yes, right? Let's talk to some more.
-Her continued reference of her being "a cow". Not only are we using a deep level of inner fat shaming (she says men don't stick around because of her weight) but then compare ourself to a cow because we are a surrogate? Oof
-The backstory of Wyatt's trust issues...WHAT? How did we come up with this? Unwillingly sharing and then a pregnancy that turned out to be none of theirs. It didn't feel like it fit with the rest of the book, a wild card.

Ultimately this book wasn't really for me but hopefully the rest of the "Mountain Men" Books can bring a positive spin.

Amy Daws writes a sweet little grumpy lumberjack in Wyatt who is just looking to be a Dad, and traditional surrogacy doesn't seem to be the cards. Trista is strong and independent and a bit all over the place.

This is a slow burn, and I mean REAL slow. I loved how it all tied together, and Everly is the niece of Wyatt and the real MVP of the book. Cute and fun, and there are goats!

It's a small-town romance with a side of quirky drama.
Grumpy/Sunshine
SLOW burn
Rowdy family
Nosey niece
Found family