diff --git a/markdown-mode.el b/markdown-mode.el
index 751c7502..a8f1f0e0 100644
--- a/markdown-mode.el
+++ b/markdown-mode.el
@@ -1770,12 +1770,12 @@ See `font-lock-syntactic-face-function' for details."
                                                (4 markdown-markup-face)       ; :
                                                (5 markdown-url-face)          ; url
                                                (6 markdown-link-title-face))) ; "title" (optional)
-   (cons 'markdown-match-bold '((1 markdown-markup-face)
-                                (2 markdown-bold-face)
-                                (3 markdown-markup-face)))
-   (cons 'markdown-match-italic '((1 markdown-markup-face)
-                                  (2 markdown-italic-face)
-                                  (3 markdown-markup-face)))
+   (cons 'markdown-match-bold '((1 markdown-markup-face prepend)
+                                (2 markdown-bold-face append)
+                                (3 markdown-markup-face prepend)))
+   (cons 'markdown-match-italic '((1 markdown-markup-face prepend)
+                                  (2 markdown-italic-face append)
+                                  (3 markdown-markup-face prepend)))
    (cons markdown-regex-uri 'markdown-link-face)
    (cons markdown-regex-email 'markdown-link-face)
    (cons markdown-regex-line-break '(1 markdown-line-break-face prepend))
diff --git a/tests/markdown-test.el b/tests/markdown-test.el
index 6b6d80cd..f5fc87e5 100644
--- a/tests/markdown-test.el
+++ b/tests/markdown-test.el
@@ -1649,6 +1649,42 @@ the opening bracket of [^2], and then subsequent functions would kill [^2])."
                         (markdown-test-range-has-face 9 14 markdown-italic-face)
                         (markdown-test-range-has-face 15 15 markdown-markup-face)))
 
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/italics-in-heading ()
+  "Test italic overlay in a heading."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "# *Italics* in a Heading"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 3 3 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 4 10 markdown-italic-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 11 11 markdown-markup-face)))
+
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/italics-link ()
+  "Test italic overlay in an inline link."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "*[italic link](http://www.link.com/)*"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 1 1 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 2 36 markdown-italic-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 37 37 markdown-markup-face))
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "[*italic link*](http://www.link.com/)"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 2 2 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 3 13 markdown-italic-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 14 14 markdown-markup-face)))
+
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/italics-in-blockquote ()
+  "Test italics overlay in a blockquote."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "> *italics* inside a blockquote"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 3 3 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 4 10 markdown-italic-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 11 11 markdown-markup-face)))
+
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/italics-in-pre ()
+  "Test italics overlay in a blockquote."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "    *italics* inside a pre block"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face (point-min) (1- (point-max))
+                                 markdown-pre-face)))
+
 (ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/bold-1 ()
   "A simple bold test."
   (markdown-test-file "inline.text"
@@ -1704,6 +1740,34 @@ the opening bracket of [^2], and then subsequent functions would kill [^2])."
    (markdown-test-range-has-face 10 13 markdown-bold-face)
    (markdown-test-range-has-face 14 15 markdown-markup-face)))
 
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/bold-link ()
+  "Test bold overlay in an inline link."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "**[bold link](http://www.link.com/)**"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 1 2 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 3 35 markdown-bold-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 36 37 markdown-markup-face))
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "[**bold link**](http://www.link.com/)"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 2 3 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 4 12 markdown-bold-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 13 14 markdown-markup-face)))
+
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/bold-in-blockquote ()
+  "Test bold overlay in a blockquote."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "> **bold** inside a blockquote"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 3 4 markdown-markup-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 5 8 markdown-bold-face)
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face 9 10 markdown-markup-face)))
+
+(ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/bold-in-pre ()
+  "Test bold overlay in a blockquote."
+  (markdown-test-string
+   "    **bold** inside a pre block"
+   (markdown-test-range-has-face (point-min) (1- (point-max))
+                                 markdown-pre-face)))
+
 (ert-deftest test-markdown-font-lock/code-1 ()
   "A simple inline code test."
   (markdown-test-file "inline.text"