Amy Daws delivers another heartfelt and humorous romance with Nine Month Contract, a surrogacy story that balances emotional depth with her signature wit. While this book carries a more serious tone compared to some of her previous works, it’s handled with care, making it a compelling and thoughtful read.

Wyatt Fletcher, a grumpy, brooding mountain man with a heart of gold, just wants to be a dad. Enter Trista, the woman willing to carry his child—a decision that turns their lives upside down in ways neither of them expected. Their journey is filled with heartfelt moments, undeniable chemistry, and, of course, a fair share of laugh-out-loud scenes. The way Trista keeps bringing home stray animals despite Wyatt’s grumbling had me in stitches—it was one of the most endearing aspects of their dynamic.

And can we talk about the animals? I lost it every time a new one was introduced. Wyatt’s grumpy reluctance and Trista’s sheepish explanations had me cracking up. Their dynamic was everything, and I adored them together.

I’ll admit, I struggled a bit at the beginning—maybe because of the time jumps? It took me a little while to settle into the rhythm, but once I did, I flew through the rest.

Nine Month Contract is my favorite by Amy Daws. It was a heartfelt, funny, and emotional read that I thoroughly enjoyed. And now, I’m even more excited to see what’s next for the Fletcher brothers!

At first I was pondering how I would like a surrogate romance. But of course Amy drew me in immediately. Over the top antics. A super protective hero. Sweet and swoony with all he does for Trista. Humor. Loving over involved family. This book had crazy antics and wonderful emotions. Looking forward to the other Fletcher brothers.

This was a funny grumpy/sunshine romance. The surrogacy aspect may throw some people off, but I think it was done tastefully. This book was a good time- it was lighthearted while still having emotional moments and both main characters were likable.

3.75⭐️3.5🌶️

Contemporary romance
Small Town Romance
Pregnancy/Serrogacy
Curvy FMC
Age Gap (10yrs)
Opposites attract
Forced Proximity
Found Family
Strong Side Characters

I could see how if you have a problem seeing ethics surrounding surrogacy, its process, and seeing a book make light of it… this book is not for you.

I love a good stoic man whose love language is acts of service. Add on a FMC who is strong and independent and it makes for great banter and a fun romance with lots of tension!

I was a little disappointed how negative the internal monologue of the FMC was about her own weight and body type.

There were lots of pop culture references, especially when we were given the teenage niece’s POV. I was really not a fan of having to wade through the modern slang/“brain rot” breaking up the flow of the book. I didn’t need her internal monologue about her own love life and plans in the book focusing on her Uncle’s romance.

Over all it was a cute book!


Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a fun twist on the accidental pregnancy trope - but so much better because everything was on purpose. They walked slowly into love but quickly into everything else. I adored the banter and the family dynamic.

Thank you Harlequin Trade and Netgalley for the e-ARC this book.

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws is a small town, grumpy/sunshine romance. It is the first book in the Mountain Men Matchmaker Series.

Wyatt is a grumpy mountain man who wants nothing more than to become a dad. Trista is an animal loving, caring, and loving woman who wants nothing more than to open an animal rescue, but she does not have the money, which is why she is looking to become a surrogate. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The banter between the main characters was great (and their DIY home insemination was a riot) and I loved how Wyatt’s family accepted Trista into their world. There were a few cringy plots, but these were easily overlooked. Excited for the rest of the series to come out.

I freaking LOVE Amy Daws. I love her. Did you hear me? I LOVE HER!

Nine Month Contract had me from start to finish. I've been dying for the Fletcher brothers since Last on the List and here we go!

Trista is on her own, and she has been for a long time. She doesn't need anyone to take care of her because she has been taking care of herself her entire life and on her own since 16 years old. She does have dreams though, not the family kind but the furry kind. She wants to open an animal sanctuary for all those animals out there that aren't cats and dogs. Obviously, she needs money for this, so she starts researching surrogacy. She knows she doesn't want her own children, but she realizes she can make good money giving someone else a child. Turned away from the agency because of her weight she unceremoniously bumps into our old friend Everly (daughter from Last on the List) who is on her own mission. Find a surrogate for Uncle Wyatt, a grumpy mountain man, who just wants to have a baby.

Wyatt is jaded on women because the last one was a TERRIBLE human. He does want a family though, so he decides to look into surrogacy. Too bad no one he meets through the agency is what he is looking for. Then one day his brothers put up a ridiculous ad looking for a surrogate which sparks an idea with Everly.

Wyatt and Trista are so much fun! At no point did any of this feel like exploitation and it's obvious that Amy Daws did her homework. Everything just felt so right from start to finish. I laughed and cried and the healing both of these people did was felt throughout.

If you like an Amy Daws book then you'll love this. There is also an age gap. Surrogate to Lovers, not sure that's an actual trope but there it is. Just read it.

The plant tween the two characters was good and they are both great and funny characters. However the terminology that Trista in particular uses is so hard to get behind. It made me feel uncomfortable and was hard to look past.

Just finished this one and it’s five stars, one of the best books of the year. Taylor swift references, cannot wait for more by this author! Must buy when it releases! Loved the story and the characters!

This was hilarious. I found myself giggling and kicking my feet more times than I can count. We also love seeing a plus size FMC. I love that Trista is confident in her own skin, while also insecure about how others view her size. As someone who can relate, this is how I go about my day to day life. I enjoyed the story and even though it was not crazy thought provoking, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I also really enjoyed the animal side characters.

I thought the book showed an experienced author, and it was well written and I liked the fact that the fmc size was never a point of others. I think I cannot comment on the accuracy of ethic dilemma of the surrogacy, however I did not like the fact that the woman changed her mind whether she wanted kids after being so headstrong on not wanting them.

This book leans into its theme almost to a fault. I appreciated all the research done by the author, it was detailed and showcased many of the benefits of surrogacy as well as many negatives within the process.

I liked the intro of the book when we meet Wyatt and his brothers, it was silly and fun. I loved Everly and Trista, and found them very relatable - they had great personalities and attitudes, and were very funny to boot.

Overall, it was a bit too out there for me but I found some parts enjoyable.

Wyatt has decided he's ready to become a single dad via surrogate. He runs into issues with his plan when the surrogacy agency drops him as a client after he declined 12 potential surrogates. Everly, Wyatt's 18 year old niece decides she is going to find him the perfect surrogate...and when she goes to hang up fliers, she meets Trista outside the surrogacy agency. Trista is looking to become a surrogate to fund an animal rescue, but was turned away by the agency because of her weight...Everly decides she is perfect, Wyatt actually agrees, and soon Trista and Wyatt are living in close proximity while on a life changing journey.

This book was a really fast read, but there were a lot of things that didn't work for me. I don't feel like the surrogacy piece was handled the way that it should have been. The way surrogacy was depicted seemed really unethical. Wyatt and Trista both had a ton of baggage that they needed to work through, but that never really happened. Trista's baggage and trauma is related to her childhood and Wyatt's is related to an experience when he and his brothers all <spoiler> slept with the same woman who was actually already married and pregnant </spoiler>. Wyatt was way too controlling of both Trista and his brothers. Trista also just seemed really immature in her actions, like continuing to bring more animals to the mountain despite Wyatt saying no. Overall, it's a quick read, but just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an e-copy for an honest review!


This is my first ever work from Amy Daws and I have to say just from the description I was already hooked.

Pro’s :

1. Characters had such unique personalities I never found myself being bored from whoever POV we got to see from.

2. I related a lot to our main FMC from her love of animals to just her overall weird personality.

3. Overly possessive mountain man? Yes please.

4. Comedy was up my alley. Found myself laughing throughout the book.

5. Sexually tension between this couple was so steamy. Worth the ups and downs.

Con’s :

1. My only negative from this book has to be the very odd comparison of baby parts to a bed? For that brief moment it took me out the story.

My overall review of this book is that it’s a really easy read to just sit down and lose yourself in the story between Trista and Wyatt. The story just flows nicely for me and it was a pleasant experience.

DNF 45% didn’t appreciate bed/ bedsheets being likened to _new born babies foreskins_ I thought that was….less than ideal for a way to akin something to another; even with being a book about surrogacy and babies. 😳

Nine Month Contract was a romance comedy for me! Yes, I enjoyed the Grumpy x Sunshine and age gap tropes but overall the banter between Trista and Wyatt was enough for me to keep reading. Who would have known that teenagers are capable of being matchmakers? My favorite thing about this read was the family, and family dynamics of this book, everyone was genuine with each other which is refreshing for romance novels because I feel like most have unlikeable characters, but everyone in this was so nice.

OMG! This book is so FUN. A huge suspension of belief must be done to fully enjoy it but it's definitely worth it!

The premise is pretty unique - a first time surrogate who wants money to start an animal rescue and grumpy mountain man who wants to be a dad more than anything - what else could you ask for? It's both heartfelt and hilarious. I felt like I was escaping the real world a bit with this one which is much needed right now. It's definitely not going to be for everyone - it doesn't take itself too seriously and isn't trying to be realistic but that's what I love about it. I loved both our main characters and the constant present of animals throughout. I definitely recommend!

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws follows a man who wants to become a dad and the relationship that develops with the woman who is going to be his surrogate.

I tried to ignore all the ethical and possible legal issues with the book and was able to suspend disbelief for the most part. Go into it knowing that you'll need to do this and you should be able to enjoy this for the way it's supposed to be, not the way it probably is.

The MMC was a bit controlling over the FMC and that was a negative, but she seemed to like it, so I was okay with it.

I really enjoyed Wyatt and Trista's relationship and the way it evolved and Wyatt's family was full of secondary characters that were a sheer joy to read about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Read this if you like a plaid wearing bearded grumpy MMC and a strong female lead!!

Similar vibes to Part of your World by Abby Jimenez and the Rebel Blue Ranch by Lyle Sage!

‼️‼️make sure to read the trigger warnings pertaining to the surrogacy theme of the story. I absolutely flew through this book in 24 hours—it has a quirky female character, which I often relate to, a grumpy mmc, tackles topics around parenthood and the idea of found family, and a mountain farm with randomly appearing rescue animals with funny names.

Also posted on Goodreads and will be reshared on publication date!

Nine Month Contract was a fun and different read! I loved the plus size FMC and the grumpy MMC! The premise of Wyatt wanting to be a dad and looking for a surrogate was fun for me! Can't wait tor read the rest of the series!

I received this Advanced Copy in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and publisher.