diff --git a/jsonhal.go b/jsonhal.go
index 4a787cc..2a06e60 100644
--- a/jsonhal.go
+++ b/jsonhal.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure"
 )
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ type Embedder interface {
 type Hal struct {
 	Links    map[string]*Link    `json:"_links,omitempty"`
 	Embedded map[string]Embedded `json:"_embedded,omitempty"`
+	decoder  *mapstructure.Decoder
 }
 
 // SetLink sets a link (self, next, etc). Title argument is optional
@@ -105,13 +107,46 @@ func (h *Hal) CountEmbedded(name string) (int, error) {
 	return reflect.ValueOf(interface{}(e)).Len(), nil
 }
 
+// decodeHook is used to support datatypes that mapstructure does not support native
+func (h *Hal) decodeHook(f reflect.Type, t reflect.Type, data interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
+
+	// only if target datatype is time.Time  and if source datatype is string
+	if t == reflect.TypeOf(time.Time{}) && f == reflect.TypeOf("") {
+		return time.Parse(time.RFC3339, data.(string))
+	}
+
+	//everything else would not be handled for now
+	return data, nil
+}
+
 // DecodeEmbedded decodes embedded objects into a struct
-func (h *Hal) DecodeEmbedded(name string, result interface{}) error {
+func (h *Hal) DecodeEmbedded(name string, result interface{}) (err error) {
+	var dec *mapstructure.Decoder
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			err = r.(error)
+
+		}
+	}()
+
 	e, err := h.GetEmbedded(name)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	//setup a new decoder if not already present
+	if h.decoder == nil {
+		dec, err = mapstructure.NewDecoder(&mapstructure.DecoderConfig{Result: result, DecodeHook: h.decodeHook})
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		h.decoder = dec
+	}
+
+	err = h.decoder.Decode(e)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
 	}
-	return mapstructure.Decode(interface{}(e), result)
+	return nil
 }
 
 // DeleteEmbedded removes an embedded resource named name if it is found
diff --git a/jsonhal_test.go b/jsonhal_test.go
index 3e53982..530ed18 100644
--- a/jsonhal_test.go
+++ b/jsonhal_test.go
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/RichardKnop/jsonhal"
+
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
@@ -21,8 +23,9 @@ type HelloWorld struct {
 // Foobar is a simple test struct
 type Foobar struct {
 	jsonhal.Hal
-	ID   uint   `json:"id"`
-	Name string `json:"name"`
+	ID   uint      `json:"id"`
+	Name string    `json:"name"`
+	Date time.Time `json:"date"`
 }
 
 // Qux is a simple test struct
@@ -67,7 +70,8 @@ var expectedJSON3 = []byte(`{
 				}
 			},
 			"id": 1,
-			"name": "Foo bar 1"
+			"name": "Foo bar 1",
+            "date":"2017-09-12T08:45:20Z"
 		}
 	},
 	"id": 1,
@@ -89,7 +93,8 @@ var expectedJSON4 = []byte(`{
 					}
 				},
 				"id": 1,
-				"name": "Foo bar 1"
+				"name": "Foo bar 1",
+                "date":"2017-09-12T08:45:20Z"
 			},
 			{
 				"_links": {
@@ -98,7 +103,8 @@ var expectedJSON4 = []byte(`{
 					}
 				},
 				"id": 2,
-				"name": "Foo bar 2"
+				"name": "Foo bar 2",
+            	"date":"2017-09-12T08:45:20Z"
 			}
 		]
 	},
@@ -121,7 +127,8 @@ var expectedJSON5 = []byte(`{
 					}
 				},
 				"id": 1,
-				"name": "Foo bar 1"
+				"name": "Foo bar 1",
+            	"date":"2017-09-12T08:45:20Z"
 			},
 			{
 				"_links": {
@@ -130,7 +137,8 @@ var expectedJSON5 = []byte(`{
 					}
 				},
 				"id": 2,
-				"name": "Foo bar 2"
+				"name": "Foo bar 2",
+            	"date":"2017-09-12T08:45:20Z"
 			}
 		],
 		"quxes": [
@@ -204,6 +212,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, expected.String(), string(actual))
 
 	// Let's add more links and a single embedded resource
+	date, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2017-09-12T08:45:20Z")
 	helloWorld = &HelloWorld{ID: 1, Name: "Hello World"}
 	helloWorld.SetLink(
 		"self", // name
@@ -220,7 +229,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 		"/v1/hello/world?offset=0&limit=2", // href
 		"", // title
 	)
-	foobar = &Foobar{ID: 1, Name: "Foo bar 1"}
+	foobar = &Foobar{ID: 1, Name: "Foo bar 1", Date: date}
 	foobar.SetLink("self", "/v1/foo/bar/1", "")
 	helloWorld.SetEmbedded("foobar", jsonhal.Embedded(foobar))
 
@@ -254,6 +263,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			ID:   1,
 			Name: "Foo bar 1",
+			Date: date,
 		},
 		{
 			Hal: jsonhal.Hal{
@@ -263,6 +273,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			ID:   2,
 			Name: "Foo bar 2",
+			Date: date,
 		},
 	}
 	helloWorld.SetEmbedded("foobars", jsonhal.Embedded(foobars))
@@ -297,6 +308,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			ID:   1,
 			Name: "Foo bar 1",
+			Date: date,
 		},
 		{
 			Hal: jsonhal.Hal{
@@ -306,6 +318,7 @@ func TestHal(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			ID:   2,
 			Name: "Foo bar 2",
+			Date: date,
 		},
 	}
 	helloWorld.SetEmbedded("foobars", jsonhal.Embedded(foobars))
@@ -491,6 +504,7 @@ func TestUnmarshalingAndDecodeEmbedded(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, hw.DecodeEmbedded("foobar", f))
 	assert.Equal(t, uint(1), f.ID)
 	assert.Equal(t, "Foo bar 1", f.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "2017-09-12T08:45:20Z", f.Date.Format(time.RFC3339))
 
 	// Slice of embedded objects