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!

I can confidently say I’ve never read a book quite like this one...and that’s exactly what made it such a standout! The uniqueness alone had me intrigued from the first few pages. While it was a little different from my usual go-to reads, I still found it to be genuinely funny and really well written. It’s always fun to step outside your comfort zone and be pleasantly surprised!

This rom com definitely has a unique premise with Wyatt wanting to become a single dad through a surrogate. The first chapter was a funny one with his brothers and their antics which I did enjoy their banter through the book. The book is told through dual POV's so we then meet Trista who is trying to raise money to open an animal shelter farm and decides she wants to become a surrogate. Long story short, these two do have a connection after going to the same clinic. Wyatt is trying to find the one he wants to choose while Trista isn't having much luck after her first visit. She happens to run into Wyatt's 18yr old niece(which was a long shot but this is fiction/rom com) and things happen from there.

I liked Wyatt and felt he was pretty solid. His love language is acts of service and he definitely was a cinnamon roll character. Trista has had a rough life and I could empathize with her past and why she felt/acted the way she did. What I didn't care for were some of her OOT one-liners. Sure, some where funny but I felt most didn't agree with my sense of humor(but it may with others). I just moved past these parts. I feel Ms. Daws can write some funny rom com's and also some deeper stories. This one felt mostly like it was comedic with the side characters(which I really liked the found family and friends) along with some deeper moments. You're kind of waiting through the whole book to see if these two become more and it seemed the same issue with Trista was on repeat. With that being said, I did enjoy the banter and felt it was a fun read.

Lastly I have to mention I really enjoyed the chapter headings and looked forward to seeing how many animals on the mountain/progression in pregnancy. Overall I'd recommend this book if you've read this author before or if you're in for a lighter romance(and yes there's some spicy times in this one too).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of this one.

I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I was a little worried about this one with it's plaid patterned pages and the plot being a romance between a man who has sworn off relationships and his surrogate, but it actually works really well!!! I think making the jump between that kind of sensitive employee/employer relationship needs to be broached really carefully the author did a really good job making it clear that both parties were interested and consenting in the relationship.

I also thought it was interesting how who I was cheering for changed through out the book. I started loving Trista and her blunt, straightforward way of approaching everything plus her love of animals. Wyatt is so controlling and pushy in the beginning and that was concerning but as the book progresses he learns how to respect her boundaries better while still looking out for her and then Trista bothered me with the way she pushes against the idea of being lovable.

The family is this is 10 stars. I'm happy this will be a series and loved the clues to Calder's story in the next book. I'm also intrigured that Max and Cozy (plus all of their friends) are featured in their own books in another series. I have a feeling I'm going to be reading a lot of Amy Daws books once I can fit it around my library holds and NetGalley ARCs. NetGalley, if you're reading this, I will gladly take an ARC of Calder's book.

I'm sure some people will be mad about Trista's change of heart about wanting to have kids but I've seen other people who don't want kids because they though their childhoods made them unfit to be parents, go to therapy, change their minds, have kids, and be great parents. I think it's important to give people the space to change their minds, especially as they learn to heal from past trauma.

Sorry if you saw my last feedback, I accidentally pasted the one from another book I finished on the same day!

I very much enjoyed this story. I’ve read it twice now (the first about a year ago), and I still enjoyed it just as much as the first time. The MCs have great chemistry and I liked the character growth by the end of the book. I adored all of the side characters as well, which definitely makes me excited for the next book.

If you’re just looking for a quick, light, enjoyable, spicy and funny read, this is a great option for you.

This was a cute and light novel that had positive plus size representation. The main character Trisha though leaves something to be desired. I really was for her being a fun loving character who has a love for animals. But it just seem like the more the story went on, the more she dug her heels into not changing at all. Literally the male MC says to have no more animals on HIS property. The next page there she has brought more animals in and disregarded his wishes. Even though she is living for free and he is doing all these nice and sweet things for her. She just reads very immature and almost self centered.
While the Male MC for the first time went through a whole character arc because being grumpy. I felt like he was still rough around the edges when it came to character being fleshed out. Overall though he at least realized what it meant to grow and care for another human being. I felt like he was always trying to make Trisha happy and his feelings were never accounted for. I do think he was naïve in wanting to just have a kid on his own without thinking about the other donors feelings. The other issue I had was the blurred lines with him being the father of the baby and also her landlord. I do think they did address that issue pretty fairly but it still had a bit of a ick feeling to me.
Its your basic pregnancy romance with a surrogacy twist. While you can say "forbidden" romance is a stretch there are some real issues that make this story overall a meh at best. I am more excited about the next book and the brother in that one. Hopefully there will be more of a equal romance and maturity levels.

I highly recommend this book. I laughed out loud in so many different parts of this book and found it so entertaining to read. Both the main characters easy to relate to and I like that the female lead character was a full figured woman who was confident in herself and was able to be strong and so sure in herself and her decisions she made for herself. Wyatt was also supportive of Trista and a likable main male character as well. Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others to read.