I just got a K2 Merge from REI, which is supposed to be a commuter specific bike. Drop bars, flight deck type shifters, it rides very nicely, has, what seems to be so far anyway, a pretty tough wheelset, and it pretty fast when it gets up to speed.

I was going for $640 last I checked; the bike retails for $1200. Also another plus as a commuter bike, it has that matte powercoat finish on it that just doesn't seem to wear. I had a Sirrus with a similar paint job, road it into the ground (until a thief decided to take it), and it still had no real scratches on the frame.

I'll go with pluses first:

Not that heavy for a commuter bike
Decent drive train, cranks are pretty stiff too
Comfortable
Has eyelets for rear rack
Easily mount fenders with 700x32 tires (have planet bike fenders on mine)
Drop bars
Good adjustability, the front stem slides up/down for taller/shorter riders, on the top tube, so it doesn't change the handlebar geometry, it just slides... You'd have to see it maybe to understand
A lot of bike, imho, for the money.
Stock seat ain't bad.
Handles pretty well for a truck

Minuses

Pedals are crap, and will need to be replaced (horrid resin toe clip things)
Tires... ymmv, but I had a flat yesterday, and I've had the bike for 4 days... Vittoria Adventure Tour or some such... they give massive confidence in the rain, but... dunno about the flat resistance yet. I will attribute that to bad luck... for now...
Wheels are tough (seeming) but quite heavy. I was running OpenPro/Ultegra, and these are maybe close to twice the weight as built. Very heavy gauge spokes though, so if they are as tough as they seem, I will forgive the weight.

I would at least give it a shot, maybe even compare it with the Novara while you're in the store, and see what you really like. You may hate both of them, and will look for something else. G/L