Welcome to Plotting and Panting!! We’re excited to be here; grab your favorite drink, get comfy and let’s turn the page together! Today we are talking about 9 Month Contract by Amy Daws!

From Amy's website:

"Help Wanted: Grumpy Mountain Man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting in the form of communication and nosey brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands on my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her…

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby making dance…when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing, and the home insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter…

I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine."

9 Month Contract - Author Amy Daws

Panting Scale

1. Barely Warm – You could read this to your grandma and not blush
2. A Little Breathless – Some flirty banter and a chaste kiss… maybe two if we’re feeling wild
3. Need a Sip of Water – The shirt’s off, the lights are dim, and your cheeks are warm
4. Heart Racing, Fan Required – Pages are sizzling and you’re reading with one eyebrow permanently raised
5. Full-On Gasping for Air – The book is basically illegal in at least three countries

Plotting Scale

1. The Chaos Gremlin - No outline in sight. The book feels like the author just shook a bag of tropes and dumped them onto the page. Fun? Absolutely! Structured? Not even a little bit
2. The Wandering Map - There is a plan… somewhere. The story takes detours, loses the GPS signal, and you might be asking, “Wait, where are we going again?”
3. The Color-Coded Calendar - Some structure, some vibes. You can tell the author had a plan but also went off-script when the characters demanded a spontaneous road trip.
4. The Spreadsheet of Destiny - Everything is neat, organized and right on cue. You can practically see the beat sheet taped above the author’s desk.
5. The Puppet Master - Immaculate plotting. Every detail snaps into place, every breadcrumb leads somewhere and by the end you’re applauding the master plan.