diff --git a/lib/engine_handlebars.js b/lib/engine_handlebars.js
index 43521f4..d1a06ce 100644
--- a/lib/engine_handlebars.js
+++ b/lib/engine_handlebars.js
@@ -24,6 +24,16 @@
 
 var Handlebars = require('handlebars');
 
+// regexes, stored here so they're only compiled once
+const findPartialsRE = /{{#?>\s*([\w-\/.]+)(?:.|\s+)*?}}/g;
+const findListItemsRE = /({{#( )?)(list(I|i)tems.)(one|two|three|four|five|six|seven|eight|nine|ten|eleven|twelve|thirteen|fourteen|fifteen|sixteen|seventeen|eighteen|nineteen|twenty)( )?}}/g;
+const findAtPartialBlockRE = /{{#?>\s*@partial-block\s*}}/g;
+
+function escapeAtPartialBlock(partialString) {
+  var partial = partialString.replace(findAtPartialBlockRE, '{{> @partial-block }}')
+  return partial;
+}
+
 var engine_handlebars = {
   engine: Handlebars,
   engineName: 'handlebars',
@@ -33,15 +43,12 @@ var engine_handlebars = {
   // style modifiers or pattern parameters (I think)
   expandPartials: false,
 
-  // regexes, stored here so they're only compiled once
-  findPartialsRE: /{{#?>\s*([\w-\/.]+)(?:.|\s+)*?}}/g,
-  findListItemsRE: /({{#( )?)(list(I|i)tems.)(one|two|three|four|five|six|seven|eight|nine|ten|eleven|twelve|thirteen|fourteen|fifteen|sixteen|seventeen|eighteen|nineteen|twenty)( )?}}/g,
-
   // render it
   renderPattern: function renderPattern(pattern, data, partials) {
     if (partials) {
       Handlebars.registerPartial(partials);
     }
+    pattern.extendedTemplate = escapeAtPartialBlock(pattern.extendedTemplate);
     var compiled = Handlebars.compile(pattern.extendedTemplate);
     return compiled(data);
   },
@@ -56,7 +63,7 @@ var engine_handlebars = {
 
   // find and return any {{> template-name }} within pattern
   findPartials: function findPartials(pattern) {
-    var matches = pattern.template.match(this.findPartialsRE);
+    var matches = pattern.template.match(findPartialsRE);
     return matches;
   },
   findPartialsWithStyleModifiers: function () {
@@ -73,14 +80,14 @@ var engine_handlebars = {
     return [];
   },
   findListItems: function (pattern) {
-    var matches = pattern.template.match(this.findListItemsRE);
+    var matches = pattern.template.match(findListItemsRE);
     return matches;
   },
 
   // given a pattern, and a partial string, tease out the "pattern key" and
   // return it.
   findPartial: function (partialString) {
-    var partial = partialString.replace(this.findPartialsRE, '$1');
+    var partial = partialString.replace(findPartialsRE, '$1');
     return partial;
   }
 };