I never thought about how the heriones tend to be passive recipients when compared to heros - very intriguing observation. Barefoot deals with a herione who had breast cancer, an issue that hit very close to home since my Mom has gone through the ordeal.
Night deals with a herione with arthritis.
Admittidly I haven't read them in a while, but they are on my keeper shelf. I recommend looking at the lists posted at Laurie's site - it is very useful for new reading ideas. It always struck me as a cop out. My tastes in romance novels seem to be 180 degrees opposite of most women. I like tortured women more than men.