Papa Bears, Mama Bears, and Spicy Surrogate Action - oh my! A Review of Amy Daws's Nine Month Contract

Let me begin by saying that I'm an Amy Daws aficionado. I went all in on her British "football" playing Harris brothers series and devoured her "Wait with Me" offerings, the last of which, aptly title "Last in Line", introduces us to Wyatt and his mountain men brothers. Truth be told, the mountain man archetype isn't my thing per se, but Wyatt's character is so grumpily charming (and eco-conscious!) that it's hard not to fall for the lumberjack-chic lead. What's more, hence the title of this, the first of Daws' Mountain Men series, is that he's built a pretty perfect life for himself on that mountain that lends itself to his aesthetic, a mountain that he, in fact, owns (that's swoon-worthy right there). The only thing missing from his otherwise full life is a child, someone to share his legacy and heart that's as big as his chest and other (ahem) parts with. The problem: he doesn't want to lose a love, whether tragically and from natural consequences, as his mother did when they lost his father, whose influence looms large here, or irreconcilable differences that end in divorce, like his brother's, which requires co-parenting and joint-custody. Wyatt is not the guy who'd be OK with not getting to put his alpha-love stamp on his progeny 24-7. So what's a boy to do? Hire a surrogate.

Enter Trista. Animal lover? Yes. Baby lover? Not so much. But Trista, who's backstory is just the right amount of realistic tragedy, has deep-seated abandonment issues. She's never wanted a partner or family of any sort. Having to fend for herself for essentially her entire life, what she wants is a large animal rescue / sanctuary (the kind of place a mountain would be just perfect for, no?). To get it, however, she's not only going to need a whole lot of cash but also a place to live for the time being since she's been ousted, along with her overgrown pot-bellied pig, Sir Reginald, from her former living situation. Enterprising as she is, she decides to rent out her womb and ride the surrogacy train. The issue? She's fat, or, at least, told that she's not a viable surrogate by the same Denver agencies that are refusing to provide Wyatt with their services because . . . single straight male?

However, a meet-cute not between Wyatt and Trista but his niece, Everly, whose character features prominently in Daws's "Last on the List" entails right outside said snooty surrogacy agency. While the lovable teen's goal is to provide her uncle with the perfect surrogate, her real "genius" plan is to find the taciturn, grunty, but ultimately gooey, uncle his happily ever after.

Daws balances humor, heat, and heartfelt realness in her development of the two characters, who are, in true rom-com style, drawn to one another - their chemistry is palpable from the jump. Yet, the demons that haunt Wyatt and Trista are sketched out enough that while you know these two will get their HEA you're kept on edge enough to see that Daws is going to make them, and, by default, us work for it. Ultimately, Trista's fondness for animals provides fodder (farm pun!) for both an on-going joke about the number of animals she's managed to convince Wyatt, former hater of all animals except Milly, his pet goat (aw. . . ), to adopt and some real relationship material (looking at you, chicken scene). The path to an HEA is never easy, however, and it takes longer for her to come around to the fact that she might just be more than the surrogate that the titular nine-month contract suggests. It takes pretty much the whole damn book for her to realize that she is, in fact, worthy of Wyatt's and, by default, his large and equally heart-of-gold-ed (go with it) family's love.

The author also teases Wyatt's brother Calder's story at the end of this one and I am here for it, as I am for their other brother, Luke, and his romance that's sure to follow. Thanks for making me a believer that the mountain man character is more than just a pale pastiche of some Brawny fantasy, Amy.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Until-recently Banned in 37 States Sexy Barn Encounters