Yup....I love my Jamis Aurora. My journey (short and intense and TE was base camp, BTW) led me pretty quickly to touring bike geometry and gearing because of fit and because I live in very hilly terrain. I have a Specialized hybrid that is pretty great, but it's HARD to ride in the hills.

I rode every "touring" bike I could find: Surly, Salsa, Bianchi, Trek, Seven, Carbondale, and in various sizes. I talked to a bunch of people at alot of different BSs, and when I got on the right size Aurora, all the fit problems of the other bikes just melted away....
The bike I thought I would like the best, the Trek 520, was the one that fit the worst.

So...my advice....and only as a person who just went through the process...is to figure out why you want a road bike (what about your hybrid isn't enough), identify a BUNCH of bikes that may have those qualities and ride all of them.

That is also how I learned about components. What little I know.

It's like grammar, when you need to use it, learning it is easy...As an abstract concept it can be...well...abstract!

The whole thing is tons of fun...I wish you lots. Of fun.