Josephine is my favorite romance option for straight males.
Why ?
1) Josephine is more intelligent and better educated than Cassandra.
2) Josephine is more diplomatic and less hostile than Cassandra.
3) Josephine is younger and better looking than Cassandra.
4) Josephine is more pragmatic and not self righteous when it comes to matters of religion and faith compared to Cassandra.
5) Josephine's romance arc is much more stable than Cassandra's romance arc.
Cassandra is only better than Josephine in one aspect and that is you get to see her fleshy orbs in a romance scene. In the case of Josephine, there is implied sexual intercourse which takes place before you enter the Temple of Mythal.
As for complaints about Josephine being like Liara, I fail to see what is the problem with this. Both are smart intelligent women with resources at hand that can aid you, the player, in your endeavors and can do a lot for you.
In the case of Josephine this is not so obvious but when you hear the conversations, its clear that Josephine practically manages the finances and public relations of the Inquisition all by herself and with the help of her agents, all the while dealing with the crap her family is in due to old feuds as well as her siblings.
That level of quiet strength and fortitude is far more admirable to me compared to a former Chantry thug who has a bad taste in literature.
Cheers.