I really enjoyed Nine Month Contract! I thought it was super cute and I loved when Trista and Wyatt finally started opening up to each other about their pasts. I 100% will be reading more by Amy Daws!

✨Book Review✨

Book: Nine Month Contract
Author: Amy Daws
Format: 📱
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

If you’re looking for a book with a curvy fmc, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, he falls first, pregnancy and small town then this book is for you.

My first book by this author and I loved it. We have Wyatt who lives up on the mountain with his brothers and Trista who is struggling but wants to follow her dream of opening animal rescue. Wyatt really wants to become a father but every agency he’s gone to he’s told no so his niece comes to the rescue with a brilliant plan to post an ad looking for a surrogate. When circumstances bring Wyatt and Trista together they realize they could help each other. Being a surrogate could help make her dream reality while making his dream come true at the same time. That sounds easy enough, but what the two don’t anticipate is falling for each other. There was so much more to both these two characters than meets the eye. Both characters were lovable and the chemistry was amazing. There was so many cute and funny moments to so much realness and teary eyed moments.

I loved this book and will be reading more by this author. I would have gave it 5 stars but I did find the main girl to be kind of annoying at times and the ending did feel a little rushed.

As an IVF mama I wasn’t sure how all of this was going to be portrayed but fertility treatments and surrogacy education was handled with such care and a little comic relief to lighten the mood. I had such a fun time reading this book. Wyatt, Trista and their crew of rescue animals stole my heart! She battled him every step of the way, doing everything she could to push away the love she was never taught how to receive. He never gave up on her and his family welcoming her with open arms was so heartwarming. I can’t wait for the rest of this series!

Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of Nine Month Contract by Amy Dawes. The opinions expressed are my own.

Wyatt is a mountain man with little words who wants to become a single father. After many failed attempts of finding a surrogate, his niece Everly has a plan.
Trista, a flighty animal shelter worker is looking for some extra money to help start her dream job. When she is constantly giving the no go at the Surrogacy clinic she runs into Everly ,Wyatt's niece and is offered a great deal.

I laughed so hard at different times during this book. The banter was so funny and the inner monologues of the FMC were amazing. Grumpy x Sunshine is the standout trope for me but Wyatt is also a cinnamon roll when it comes to people he loves.

I'm giving this book a solid 3⭐. There several things I really did enjoy about this book but there were some things I felt that could have been better. The MMC was too possessive and the FMC was very hard against herself in many ways. I felt their chemistry was also lacking and that there was no emotional strings just physical. I felt the ending was way too fast. But overall, it was good.

Amy Daws doesn't write a bad book. This was such a fun & sweet story. Trista is a force to reckon with. Her big personality, hilarious banter, and even her past makes her a wonderful character to read. Wyatt is a grumpy & broody mountain man who loves his family so wholly. The spice in this? Perfect. Reading a book with a big loving family is one of my favorite things. I loved this book so much. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!!

4.25/5 ⭐
2.5/5 🌶️

This was such a fun read i absolutely love the way this book was written!

Watching trista finally finding a family that she never had was so sweet and how she slowly started connecting with the baby even tho she didn't want to be a mom at first was so cute

Nine Month Contract is a swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud small-town romance packed with grumpy/sunshine charm, off-the-charts chemistry, and plenty of heart. If you love a broody mountain man being completely undone by a sassy, curvy heroine, this book is for you!

When a gruff, no-nonsense mountain man decides he’s ready to become a father, his meddling brothers take matters into their own hands—posting a ridiculous "help wanted" ad for a baby mama. Enter Trista: bold, opinionated, and exactly the kind of woman he didn’t realize he needed. What starts as a strictly business arrangement quickly turns into something much more complicated, especially when their undeniable attraction threatens to turn their deal into a full-blown love story.

This book is a perfect blend of steam, humor, and small-town antics, complete with nosy neighbors, a mischievous pet goat, and plenty of swoon-worthy moments. The age gap adds an extra layer of tension, and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic is executed flawlessly. The heartfelt moments and fiery banter make it an addictive read.

If you’re a fan of Meghan Quinn or Tessa Bailey, Help Wanted delivers all the small-town romance goodness with a fun, fresh twist. Prepare to laugh, swoon, and maybe even shed a tear!

This was an unhinged DELIGHT. I’m a simple girl with simple needs when it comes to my romcoms, and those are 1) banter that genuinely makes me laugh out loud (this is one of the funniest books i’ve read in months) and 2) hot, tall, intimidating MMCs that bring the sizzling tension (and Wyatt is DELICIOUS.)

While this is a fun, lighthearted read, don't pick this one up expecting highbrow writing — it’s littered with chronically-online language like ‘rizz’, ‘girlie’ and ‘lowkey’, but it is genuinely laugh out loud funny in the most unhinged way. The concept is relatively simple — a grumpy lumberjack contractor wants to be a dad, but without the muss and fuss of having to find a wife, or co-parent. So, he turns to surrogacy. And when the traditional surrogacy route fails to meet his exacting standards, his niece intervenes, matchmaking him with a semi-feral animal lover who’s trying to become a surrogate to earn money to start a wildlife sanctuary. A WIN-WIN.

If you’re looking for a profound, ethical critique of the surrogacy industry, this is not the book for you. The lines between ‘paying for a baby’ get rather blurred in this one, especially with concerning power dynamics between the MMC and the FMC as they start to explore their very physical feelings for one another. It’s still fun and silly, but it certainly raises some eyebrows — in more ways than one, as the humor leans a bit too unhinged and cringey. A lot of times in these kinds of romcoms, a line is crossed into uncomfortably weird jokes, and this one falls prey to that a few times.

Moreover, if you don’t like your love interests toxic, possessive, with a dash of pressured dub-con, this is not the book for you. Wyatt is surly, mean, possessive to a degree that would land him on a dateline special, and utterly uncompromising when it comes to Trista’s attention and affection. Which, in real life, would be a vibrant, crimson red flag, but in a book, is a lot of fun as Trista challenges him at every turn.

Ultimately, this one was a mess of red flags that would never be attractive in real life, but it makes for a fun, lighthearted read if you like hot lumberjacks, quirky family dynamics, barn animals, and aren’t opposed to the occasional toxic MMC carrying an Airbus A380 amount of baggage. Though it's meant to be a silly, funny story, it does wrap up on a surprisingly emotional note, making it all the more satisfying of a read. If you’re able to suspend real life icks for a funny tale about two people who have the most ridiculous chemistry, you'll likely have a great time with this one.

I couldn’t set this one down, and I’ll definitely pick up the next books in the series, so I fear these grumpy, dysfunctional mountain men have fully hooked me. I'm ready for ecologically-responsible commune life — g2g pick up flannels and a few domesticated pigs.

Thank you so much to HTP’s hive program for the opportunity to read the ARC of this one! Well worth the embarrassing snorts and cackles that left my body through all 400 pages.

3.5 - rounded up..

TBH, I have quite the mixed feelings on this one. While I love a single parent romance - there were bits of this book that felt a little too unrealistic for me that took me out of the book.

Nine Month Contract follows Wyatt, one of 4 brothers, who is looking for a surrogate. Wanting to fill in the lonliness and want to be a dad, with not romantic entanglements, he's find it hard to find anyone. Trista, plus size women, who loves animals more than peoples keeps being turned down by clinics due to her size. Enter in Wyatt's niece, who concocts a plan to find her uncle the perfect woman - not just as a surrogate, but for life.

Wyatt is definitely what you would imagine as a mountain man - man of little words but a ton of possessiveness. Trista, while overly bubbly for the most part, has a ton of baggage towards family dynamics due to her past. The two fall into an easy attraction, and I loved all the animals that Trista kept bringing to the mountain. I love the found family aspect, you could feel that the family loved each other. through the pages.

What didn't work for me - the talk of how the surrogacy was going to happen. I'm sure the clumsy set up of how the baby making was going to occur was meant to come off as easy going, but I'm sure it could be a sensitive topic for some readers. It felt very blase for such an important topic.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, HTP HIVE and Amy Daws for an earc in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS:
Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws - Surrogacy, found family, and for sure breeding kink.
There were cute moments, the banter was good, loved the family dynamic, and I enjoyed getting to know Wyatt’s niece more than the main characters which I don’t like at all. The story doesn’t make any sense, it is all over the place. Since chapter 1, I’m like “Dude, you’re just a coward. Your brother got divorced and you got traumatized? be a man, grow up.” I went in with expectations, but those were not met. I didn’t end up with a book boyfriend.

This was an easy red, fast pa ed until the last 4 chapters… it was a five star read until the ending…. Where there was not climatic end to the story… they just declared their feelings and lived HEA. The book was great until that point but just felt like the ending was phoning it in. 4/5

Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I ended up dnf’ing due to the content not hitting the correct way for me to consider it enjoyable. I do appreciate the opportunity to read this story early.

This is an ARC Review. I want to thank Amy Daws and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me the chance to read this book ahead of release day! This is a great spicy rom-com! To start with the wanted ad had me hooked and it just kept getting better and better. The family as a whole, had me in giggles but the love story between Trista and Wyatt had me so intrigued with their constant tension! This was the best start to the series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the brother’s stories! And maybe even the VERY spunky niece! The writing style made it an exceptionally easy read. The only critique I’d have is that the book made me literally laugh out loud which caused seriously questionable looks when reading in public!

“I read one of the most important things a father can do for his child is to love its mother”

I have thoughts.
Trista was insufferable. The amount of emotional baggage this woman lugged around was EXHAUSTING. How Wyatt didn’t go insane is beyond me. She bit his head off anytime he offered help but if anyone else offered she would accept. He gave her a job, paid her money to do this amazing thing for him, but then would get upset when he spent money on her?? Girly just say thank you and move on! Also the internalized fat phobia was just so much to listen to. It felt so pointed and I just needed it to tone down a bit.

Wyatt’s brothers are also gross. Their little dating bet just put me off so much. Idc what else they did, they were just gross to me after that.

Meanwhile if felt like the only reason Wyatt wanted to become a father is because he missed his own… and I get that but also ????

I can see this book being the right cup of tea for someone, just unfortunately not me. Both MC’s were so unlikable in my eyes that I just truly didn’t care how their relationship progressed.

I know the next book is about one of the other brothers and I think I’m going to have to pass. I don’t care to see him “redeem” himself in anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

Trista and Wyatt’s story is exceptionally cute. Wyatt wants a baby and a family and his niece helps make that happen.

Trista doesn’t trust many people because of her parents and experience growing up. Watching her fall in love with Wyatt’s family and growing is a good part of this book.

I loved the animals and their names. LOL. Trista’s naming abilities is spot on and cracked me up throughout the book.

"Nine Month Contract" by Amy Dawes is a heartwarming and humorous story about an unconventional journey to parenthood. The story revolves around Wyatt and Trista, whose surrogacy agreement evolves into unexpected love.

Dawes beautifully explores the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy and the complexities of their unique relationship. The story is filled with light-hearted humor {thanks to Calder & Luke}, touching moments {I mean Amy had me tearing up a few times}, and a sprinkle of sensuality {Wyatt is sweet & sexay}.

It is a quick read, offering a fresh outlook on love, family, and life itself.

🚼favorite quotes 📖

“How could you have possibly known?” she asks, still puzzling over this bomb I just dropped. I shoot her a coy wink. “I told you I was a mastermind.”—-touché Everly😍


“Everly, wait!” I turn on my heel to see her jog over to me as my parents watch us curiously. Trista grabs my hand and presses it to her belly, and instantly, I feel a light drumming on the palm of my hand. My eyes widen as a huge smile spreads across my face. “Aw, that’s my *******!”—-😭😭


“But if you need to hear it…you’re beautiful pregnant, not pregnant, stretch marks, no stretch marks. If I passed you in a bar somewhere in Denver, I would definitely moo.”💕

I definitely enjoyed my time with this story. It gave a fuzzy warm feeling, and it was spicy.

Trista, having a found family, was emotional. My eyes were watery when she spoke of her childhood. It felt so healing and heart-warming later in the story.

Wyatt is such a grumpy bear who turns into a teddy bear. I definitely have a thing for mountain man with no shame. Ekkk.

I love how every chapter started with an update to weeks pregnant and the animals on the mountain.

This was simply lovely & I can't wait to read more mountain man books.

This book was the perfect blend of funny and spicy.

I mean he has a pet goat. How can you go wrong with a broody mountain man with a pet goat?

Wyatt is single man living on the mountain with his brothers. He's ready for a family and looking for a surrogate mother. When his brother decides to place an ad looking for a baby mama as a joke his niece decides she is going to help find him the perfect candidate since things are not going well at the agency.

When she runs into Trista on the street ranting she thinks you know what I think you would be perfect for my uncle. Trista who is about to be homeless and needing money decides this is something she can do. She needs the money Wyatt is offering and the housing as well since she has a pet pig that she can't keep in an apartment with her.\

Wyatt and Trista come to an agreement and decide they are going to do this. Trista is ready and she wants to try this thing without the clinics and do it at home style. Through this process Trista has doubts about herself as she is plus sized and Wyatt has other thoughts about her. Together they decide you know what lets make this beneficial for both of us and have a sexuationship. What happens though when feelings start happening??

Holy smokes the things that these two do had me laughing and blushing. I loved the mix of both of their personalities and thought this was a fantastic book. I am looking forward to reading more about these mountain men.

Review will be posted in Goodreads as well as TikTok on 2/22/25

okay. this one was... interesting but not super much my thing? i mean, it'll definitely be someone elses, and the animal collection aspect was cool (altho a bit weird). but.... WHY was the niece involved at all? the ethics of the entire situation feels a bit slippery, too. 2.5 stars, rounded up. tysm for the arc.