A DREAM FOR SUSAN by Janet Lambert

 

Oh the Jordans! What a lovely family! Except for Gwenn, of course. Our heroine for this tome is Susan. She was little in the previous books, but Tippy took some notice of her in WELCOME HOME, MRS JORDAN and Janet hinted in one of the letters to "her girls" that Susan would eventually be a focus.

Susan has Alcie's sweet personality and Gwenn's smokin' hot looks - as indicated by the quite creepy way that Bobby Parrish tries to groom her as a future wife. She is also a twin to the lackluster Neal. He shows up halfway through the book, impressing no one.

When the story begins, Susan is on top of the world. She is about to leave her dull boarding school to move to Turkey with her father, the General [salute!], who will be stationed there. She will act as his hostess and be able to sleep as late as she wants. I can't remember if there is any mention of schooling, but whatever, school sucks. We don't like our girls over-educated in Lambert-world. That's boy stuff. 

Things go amiss right away. After a glorious send off, Susan receives a call in the night from the General [salute!], telling her that his "orders" have changed and he has to go to Japan where he won't be able to have family. This smells of bullshit, which I believe Marjorie Parrish calls out later. He has taking the Asian post to help his career which should, by rights, be over. 

Susan pleads with him to let her tell the headmistress and Alcie, who is scheduled to pick her up and get her on her way to Turkey the next morning. Except she doesn't. She just goes with her sister and tells her once they are home. 

Her thoughts about wanting a home are really heartbreaking. This is a girl who remembers very little of a time when she wasn't shunted off somewhere to make the General [salute!]'s life easier. Alcie feels this and offers to let her stay in her honeymoon house with her and Jon. But Susan is already having second thoughts. She is planning on going back to the boarding school and then perhaps getting a little house with her brothers for the next year. 

Enter Bobby Parrish.

This old creeper is sent from his parents to go get Susan with the story that the Parrishs are missing Tippy so much that they are miserable and they are desperate for Susan to stay with them. She comes down for "a visit" and ends up staying. 

She loves it there. Marjorie and Trudy give her all the maternal love that has been missing since Jennifer went to England. She thrives. If that wretched Bobby was not lurking around it would be great. She loves visiting with Penny and Caroll and their families as well. 

There is a little side-bit about how she kind of ghosted her boarding school friends which is quickly resolved. And then, come to find out, Joe and Lettie are going to get a house of their own and will be vacating the gatehouse. Guess who is going to live there?? Our little Susan and her dull brothers. It's a dream come TRUE for Susan!

Also, Jonathan's little brother Keith is quite into Susan and it makes Bobby jealous because he is a CHILD. I swear, if Bobby and Susan get married someday I will go bonkers. Other than that - this was a sweet one that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Next up we have a whole new heroine - Cinda!