I believe you are right. ^^^ An express cruiser is probably going to be the most appropriate boat for me.
I believe that my wife and I will be going the express cruiser route, as this type of boat best fits our cruising needs. (If money was no object we would likely buy a fast trawler.)
Our short list includes several Sea Ray Sundancers, depending on whether we decide to do extended cruising or not. Our budget is similar to yours, in that we want to keep in under 100K, plus we want a newer boat, and want a boat that can cruise in the low 20's.
For overnight cruising, I really like the 2007 - 2009 Sundancer 310. These boats start at about 75K.
In the early 2000's Sea Ray also offered 320 and 340 Sundancers.
For extended cruising, I really like the Sundancer 360/380. 2002 versions of the 360 run about 90K. Sundancer 380's of the same vintage also run about 90K. If a couple of years older, the 380's run about 80K. The 380 was also the entry point for diesels in the Sundancer line, although they are not very common in the 380's. Slightly older versions of the Sundancer 400 (commonly with diesels) run about 90 - 95K.
One neat thing about Sea Ray is that they have a lot of the owner brochures and manuals, on-line, going back for several decades to find out specifics about the different models and years.
Yes, all Sundancers will guzzle fuel, but that is true of almost any boat that gets on plane.
Regardless of what boats you might be interested in, my suggestion would be to go out on several boats and see what cruising is like at the slower speeds, 7-8 knots. If this is a comfortable speed then maybe a boat that fast cruises at 12-14 knots would suit you. However, maybe you might be most comfortable on a boat that routinely cruises at a faster speed, with occasionally slower cruising.
There is no right boat for everyone. Each of us has unique needs that need to be factor into selecting the right boat for us.
Good luck with your search,
Jim