I've had good results using so-called "mini" v-brakes with road brake levers on my cyclocross/allrounder bike.
My setup is a pair of Tektro RX5 mini-v's with Sora 8-speed brifters, in combination with soft Koolstop "Salmon" brake pads. I run either 35c turf knobbies offroad, or 35c touring tires on-road. I also occassionally run fenders with the touring tires and have no clearance issues other than a slight rubbing of the brake boot on the rear fender.
Now Tektro themselves recommend a linear-pull (pulls more cable) lever with the mini-v's, but I've had no problems with the above setup.
I should also mention I'm right at the Clydesdale borderline at 202 lbs
Just a couple of caveats. The brake pads have to be set close to the rims due to the shorter cable pull of road vs. v-brake levers, so you have to keep your rims fairly true to prevent the pads rubbing. As a result of the pads being closer to the rims, you may not be able to easily release the brake noodle when removing the wheels. I use a brake noodle with a built-in barrel adjuster backed out about a third to allow more cable slack when removing wheels with large-ish tires.