8 Emotional Romance Books for Cancers

As Cancer is a water sign, it may seem obvious to include a book with a strong link to the element. But sometimes what's obvious is just right—Cancers find a heightened sense of comfort and calm when they're by the sea, setting the perfect scene for romance to bloom.

After Lacey Andrew's feathers are ruffled by an unpleasant customer at work, it seems like the universe is doing her a favor when her cousin asks her to housesit at her gorgeous Virginia Beach shorefront property. Unfortunately, her much needed vacation is derailed by the same rude man who tore her apart on the phone.
 
Lacey's cousin accidentally secured two housesitters, and Cole Whitfield is stubbornly there to stay. But as both of them stand their ground and prepare to endure their time together, the salty ocean breeze unravels their rivalry bit by bit. Their contentious heat simmers into sparks of desire—but what happens when the real world starts to creep in?

It's well-known that Cancers are one of the most sensitive signs of the zodiac, so it should come as no surprise that these Crabs are big lovers of art. And what better to spark a romance than an artistic venture?

Related: 8 Feel Good Romance Books That Give Us Butterflies

It's the 1940s, and 18-year-old Martha has the incredible opportunity to take an an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris to study painting. The City of Light is where so many remarkable painters of the past have worked, and she's inspired to pursue her own art with a single-minded focus. However, while her eyes might be firmly on her canvas, she accidentally draws the eye of an admirer. Rather than a suave Frenchman sweeping her off her feet with his charms, her admirer is a homesick British bank clerk who woos her with comforting reminders of home.

Like all water signs, Cancers are highly intuitive individuals. Some born under this sign may even be psychic, and may at least hold an interest in the mystic. A paranormal romance is right up a Cancer's alley!

Cate Duncan is a young therapist whose dedication to her job paves a path for a promising career—until her mother's suicide sends her into a spiral of depression. In a bid to save her job, Cate joins a treatment program run by the enigmatic Ben MacGregor and his mother. But it's not just any program. The MacGregor Group gathers alternative healers with less conventional methods like crystals, aura readings, and psychics. And now they need Cate's unique abilities.

As Cate's emotional turmoil tips her closer and closer to the edge, Ben finds that he's willing to do everything he can to keep Cate safe. Even from herself.

For as sensitive as this water sign tends to be, some Cancer's make up for that soft center with a hard, pessimistic shell. The Cook's Secret Ingredient combines this sign's classic cynicism with a dash of the mysticism so many are drawn to.

As a private investigator, Carson Ford's specialty is tracking people down. Unfortunately, his latest—and most personal—case has him at a loss. He's supposed to be searching for a woman destined to be his rich, widowed father's next great love. But ever-practical Carson, who's a single dad himself, knows that love that fantastical doesn't exist. He knows this destiny talk is just a big hoax, so his first stop in unravelling this scam is paying a visit to the fortune-teller's daughter.

When confronted by Carson, chef Olivia Mack tells him that what her late mother predicted usually comes to fruition. What she keeps to herself is that she might know exactly which woman Carson was sent to find. She's even less inclined to mention that she's falling hard for the PI and his adorable son.

The sign of the Crab has earned a reputation for being homebodies—and there's nothing wrong with that! Some of the best love stories unfold right in the comfort of your own home.

Will Sterling heard the warm, enchanting voice of the girl of his dreams 16 years ago. As he stood beneath an apartment balcony, he and the stranger shared a perfect moment—a moment he's never let fade from his memory. Now the guarded doctor returns to the building to inherit his estranged uncle's apartment, only to encounter a woman two balconies above who is vividly familiar.

Nora Clarke might think Will is handsome—and she might even look forward to their whispered, pre-dawn conversations—but that doesn't mean she's going to let his plans to offload his new property disrupt her tight-knit community of neighbors. Nora's small-scale efforts at sabotage spark a tense feud, but just beneath the surface is a star-crossed connection neither can deny.

Related: 5 Kate Clayborn Books Every Romance Fan Should Read

For as much as emotional Cancers might love love, their fear of getting hurt has them putting up a lot of walls. This instinctual need to protect themselves can lead to prickly exteriors and bruised egos. If this description happens to remind you of one Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, then just wait until you read this modern take on Pride and Prejudice.

The Binat family's fortune and prospects have been decimated by a scandal and a cutting rumor. Despite it all, Alys, the second of the Binat daughters, has built a happy life for herself as an English literature teacher. The practical, independent woman has sworn to herself she will never marry. And knowing that so many of her students won't make it to graduation before they drop out in favor of marriage and children, she sets out to inspire them with the works of Jane Austen and other literary heroes.

Related: 15 Must-Read Books For Fans of Jane Austen

After receiving an invitation to the biggest wedding their town has seen in years, Mrs. Binat is filled with a new hope that their luck could change. She immediately readies her daughters for the wealthy bachelors sure to be looking for a wife. While the first night of festivities sees Alys's older sister, Jena, catching the eye of successful entrepreneur Fahad “Bungles” Bingla, the man's friend, Valentine Darsee, could not be less impressed with the Binat family. Alys dismisses the man and his rude behavior, but as the Binat's eagerly wait for an engagement for Jena, Alys starts to see more beneath Darsee's brusque surface.

While Cancer's less favorable traits of high suspicion and manipulation are often regarded as a deterrent to romance, these aspects are, in some situations, incredibly useful. Take, for example, a romantic regency espionage scenario...

An orphan of the French revolution, Séverine de Cabrillac works, on occasion, as a British intelligence agent. She's done her best to leave her life as a spy in the past, focusing now on investigating criminal activity in London and freeing those wrongly imprisoned. When mysterious Spaniard Raoul Deverney shows up at her door asking for help, he carries enough secrets with him that Séverine can't help but be intrigued.
 
Raoul is desperate to find his estranged wife's killer and rescue the woman's 12-year-old daughter. Séverine appears to be the only woman for the job, even if their growing attraction complicates matters.

One of Cancer's most admirable traits is their unwavering loyalty. They will do anything for the people they care about, and their love runs deeper than most could even begin to imagine. This yearning is beautifully portrayed in this tragic, mythological retelling of Achilles and Patroclus.

In ancient Greece, the golden son Achilles meets an awkward young prince named Patroclus. Where Achilles is strong and handsome, Patroclus is nothing. Achilles is the son of a goddess. Patroclus is a boy exiled. But despite how different they should be, the boys come together in a friendship that is unbreakable.

As Achilles and Patroclus grow into men, their friendship also grows, deepening into a love that is pure and steadfast. But the Trojan War rages around them, and Achilles's mother, Thetis, has a hatred of mortals that desires to see the two men separated. Fate, too, hangs over their heads, promising death in exchange for glory.