Sex & Manga Reviews: King of the Lamp, Voices of Love

If you can't deal with shojo manga romances that take FOREVER to get to "the good stuff" (Hello, Hana Kimi!), then here are two collections of short, sexy love stories that get right to the romance, and then some.

King of the Lamp is a one-shot manga collection from Go! Comi by Takako Shigematsu, the creator of Tenshi Ja Nai! The first three stories are about a hunky genie who offers to help girls with their boyfriend problems for a price: The horndog King of the Lamp will make magic happen, as long as he gets a little lovin' first. For shy teens who blush at the thought of holding hands, this price can seem a bit steep. But in the end, each girl achieves her hearts' desire: an evening of intimacy with her boyfriend.

That's pretty racy stuff for shojo manga -- but it's nothing compared to what's between the sheets in Voices of Love, the first josei (ladies') manga title from Aurora Publishing's adult romance imprint, LuvLuv Press. Voices of Love is another one-shot collection of short love stories, except this time, the couples go all the way.

The young twenty-somethings in these tales deal with boyfriend problems that are more grounded in reality, like age differences, abusive relationships and friends with "benefits." And with this more adult approach to romance comes much more graphic, matter of fact depictions of sex and relationships. It's more tasteful, romantic and sensitive than porn, but it's shrink-wrapped and slapped with a "M-Mature" rating for a very good reason.

Read my review of King of The Lamp, plus my review of Voices of Love and see if it'll leave you hot 'n bothered or asking, "Why bother?"

While you're at it, take a peek at more coming attractions in the Aurora Publishing Preview Gallery and Go! Comi Preview Gallery.

Image credit: © Takako Shigematsu / AKITA SHOTEN and © Kanae Hazuki / Ohzora Publishing Co. Ltd.