Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

Narrated by Erin Mallon & Teddy Hamilton

1st in a spin-off series but stands alone.

Note: this story may trigger some people who have or plan to use a surrogate or have been or plan to be a surrogate. This is a romantic comedy, not real-life, or it would be crazily inappropriate.

“I’m a paid surrogate having sex with the intended parent. This is going to get so damn messy if I don’t get control of this situation.”

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws is the first in a new series about the three remaining Fletcher Brothers who we met in Last on the List. The three brothers live on a secluded mountain in a small town. Wyatt (38), the grumpiest and most reclusive of the brothers, wants to be a father so much, but he doesn’t want a woman to share his life or his kid with. He signed up with a surrogate agency that set him up with 12 women, each of whom he rejected.

“I know I won’t be able to find you love, Uncle Wyatt. You’ve made it crystal clear that’s not what you want in life. But please, let me be a part of helping you become a dad before I go.” She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek and whispers in my ear, “Because I know you will make an amazing one.”

His niece Everly is now 18, and she’s determined to help him find the perfect surrogate. She happens to meet Trista outside the surrogate agency after Trista was rejected for being too overweight. Everly got to know her a little and thought she’d be perfect for the job.

Trista (28) wants to start an animal rescue. She can’t get a loan and decides that helping other people bring a baby into the world is the best way to get money together. Plus, part of the package is that she would have a small place in the barn on the mountain to live in with her pot-bellied pig, Reginald.

The mutual attraction between Wyatt & Trista is clear right off the bat. I loved that he was totally into a plus-sized heroine, and I found her lack of confidence to be totally relatable. Knowing how inappropriate it is to act on the attraction, they fought it off, but it didn’t last very long, the pull was just too strong.

“You have a piece of me inside you, and I still want more of you. I can’t get enough.”

Trista has never had a real family. She’s never been put first and always relied only on herself. She was prickly about letting anyone take care of her, and Wyatt is a possessive caretaker.

“I told you if I fucked you, every part of you would belong to me. Did you think I was joking?”
“Do you realize how crazy that sounds?”
“Didn’t seem like you minded last night.”

Trista can never resist an animal in need and Wyatt didn’t want any animals on the mountain. It was fun watching her sneak them in and seeing Wyatt pretend not to like them.

My favorite part about the book was how Trista learned what it was to trust that another person’s love was unconditional and that she found a family with Wyatt and his brothers and friends.

Likes:

The brotherly banter.
Laughed out loud several times.
A curvy FMC.
I loved Everly and her relationship with her uncles.
All of the farm animals that kept popping up and the great names she gave them.
It was steamy without being cringy.
Her background was such a big part of her personality.
Characters from the Wait With Me series showing up.
How she learned about family through his.

Dislikes:

I think Nine Month Contract may be seen as a little disrespectful of the surrogate community.
She was too stubborn about taking stuff from him.
Her turnaround happened too quickly.
The past difference the brothers had.
The cow references.

The Narration:

OMG, we couldn’t have a better set of narrators for this! Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton are already my favorites, but duet narration made them even better. Erin’s comedic acting is just perfect for Amy Daws’s writing and I think it made the book even better.

The Down & Dirty:

I had a blast listening to Nine Month Contract! I laughed out loud throughout the book and teared up a few times as well. Though Amy did research and employed sensitivity readers, I think Nine Month Contract might turn off those in the surrogate community. I, however, looked at it as a funny premise for a book that didn’t take itself too seriously. I can’t wait for more of Amy’s wit in the next two brothers’ books!